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Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
Friday November 3rd, 2017 :: 11:46 a.m. PDT

Community

Update on Oct. 31 shooting

Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies shot a man in the arm Tuesday night after he attempted to run a victim over in a stolen truck. The incident began shortly after 10:30 PM on October 31 when deputies were dispatched to the 300 block of Bailhache Ave. in Healdsburg regarding an assault with a deadly weapon that had just happened.
 
The victim, a 48-year-old Guerneville man, reported to deputies that the property owner at that location had called him to this address to calm down a situation where an acquaintance, 47-year-old Shawn Hart, was reportedly causing problems and refusing to leave. The victim described Hart as homeless and staying in a truck on or around that property. When the victim tried to calm Hart down, Hart intentionally drove his truck towards the victim and struck him with his front bumper. The victim managed to escape injury and called the Sheriff’s Office for help as Hart fled in a white GMC pickup.
 
The truck that Hart fled in was described as a white GMC pickup with a motorcycle in the back. The truck was reported stolen on October 13, 2017 by Santa Rosa CHP.  At that time, the owner of the stolen vehicle, Hart’s mother, listed Hart as a suspect and also reported that there was a .38 caliber revolver in the truck. Hart also had a prior arrest for being a felon in possession of a gun. In addition to this information being broadcasted over the radio, one deputy told other deputies over the radio that Healdsburg Police Department recently had a situation with Hart where he vowed never to be taken alive. Hart also had a $50,000 warrant for violating a restraining order.
 
Deputies searched the area for Hart and found him driving near the Vineyard Creek apartment complex off Airport Blvd. Two deputies attempted to stop Hart using their emergency lights, but he refused to stop.  He kept driving and turned onto Whispering Creek Drive, a dead end street, through the Stonegate Mobile Home Park. When Hart reached the end of the mobile home park he drove towards a vacant field cluttered with debris. Hart hit the debris and could not drive forward anymore. Hart then put the truck in reverse and hit the patrol car at least twice. The deputy then drove the front of the patrol car into the front driver’s door of the truck.
 
Hart then made a movement toward the passenger side seat of the truck. Believing that Hart was reaching for the handgun reportedly in the vehicle, the deputy fired three rounds from his handgun through the front windshield of the patrol car towards Hart, who was in the driver seat of the truck with the window down.  At the same time, the second deputy was approaching the rear passenger side of the patrol car.  Hearing gunshots and believing the suspect shooting at the deputy, he fired one round into the rear driver side window of the truck.
 
Hart was struck two times in the left arm and a bullet grazed the tip of nose. The deputies ordered Hart to put his hands up but Hart didn’t immediately comply.  After several requests, Hart complied.  Other responding deputies removed Hart from the truck through the passenger side door, immediately applied first aid, and called for medical help. An ambulance arrived and transported Hart to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition. Deputies later found that Hart had two large kitchen knives, approximately 12” long, and an approximately 8” to 10” folding lock tactical knife in the cab of the truck.  The .38 caliber handgun that Hart’s mother initially reported was in the truck has not been located.
 
Hart will be booked into the Sonoma County Jail on two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon, the stolen vehicle charge, and his arrest warrant after he is released from the hospital.  The deputies’ names are not being released at this time.

Address/Location
Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
2796 Ventura Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 707-565-2650

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