Full Notification

On 03/06/2014, at approximately 0820 hours, Sonoma County Sheriff Office Property Crimes Detectives were driving northbound on Old Redwood Hwy just north of the Hwy 101 onramp from Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Detectives’ attention was drawn toward the freeway, because numerous cars were stopped. Detectives witnessed a man trying to get into three separate vehicles that were stopped in the #1 lane due to him walking on the freeway. Detective Sgt. Michael Raasch and Detective Ryan Russell jumped over a six foot fence to contact the suspect, while Detective Sean Jones drove onto the freeway. Detectives contacted the suspect, who was obviously extremely high on drugs. After a short struggle with the suspect, detectives were able to place the suspect in handcuffs.

When uniformed patrol officers arrived to assist detectives, the suspect became violently resistive and had to be placed in maximum restraints for his safety and the safety of officers. The suspect was frothing from the mouth and was making no sense of things he was saying. An ambulance was requested to the scene. The suspect was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and once medically cleared he will be booked at the county jail for attempted carjacking. Officers are trying to determine his true identity.

Detectives learned that prior to the suspect going onto the freeway; he was on Cleveland Avenue near the Hopper Avenue Starbucks. The suspect was apparently walking in traffic and had jumped on a hood of someone’s vehicle. The suspect then apparently jumped the fence onto Hwy 101 and was trying to stop vehicles on the freeway. Numerous 911 calls began coming into the dispatch center.

The Sheriff’s Office is trying to locate the victims of this apparent attempt carjacking case. There are at least three victims and we have not spoken to them yet. We are asking the public for help. If you were a victim of the suspect trying to get into your vehicle please call Deputy Tom Howard at (707) 565-2650.

As of 4 PM on 3-6-14, the suspect in this case has been positively identified as TROY DAVID DUDAS, age 37, of Pennsylvania.

Press release prepared by Sgt. Michael Raasch
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
Property Crimes Investigation Unit
(707) 565-2838
Case #140306-003