Full Notification

At approximately 5:41 a.m., this morning, deputies were near Frei Road at Guerneville Road looking for a car that was stolen during a carjacking. A deputy and two Sebastopol police officers found the car and tried to pull the driver over on Bloomfield Road near Murray Road. The driver initially pulled over, then sped away from the peace officers and started a pursuit. The peace officers pursued the car, which traveled through west county. They tried to stop the car with a PIT maneuver (pursuit intervention technique), but it was unsuccessful. A PIT maneuver is when a peace officer uses a patrol car to abruptly turn a fleeing car sideways, causing the driver to lose control and stop. The pursuit ended on Sutton Street, which is a dead-end road in Bloomfield, when deputies used their patrol cars to box in the car.
 
The driver, a man, fought deputies as they tried to arrest him for driving a stolen car and evading peace officers. The deputies used a Taser but he kept fighting. They then attempted to use a carotid restraint hold to try to stop him from fighting. A carotid restraint hold is a way of controlling a combative person by placing pressure on the carotid artery, which causes the person to lose consciousness.
 
After deputies placed the man in handcuffs, he had a medical emergency.  Deputies began life-saving measures and requested medical personnel. The man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
 
The Sheriff’s Office invoked the County’s critical incident protocol. Santa Rosa Police Department is investigating the incident and Marin County Coroner’s Office is conducting the death investigation. For all media inquiries, please call Santa Rosa Police Department Lieutenant Dan Marincik at (707) 543-3644 or dmarincik@srcity.org.  The Sheriff’s Office will be doing an administrative review to determine if deputies followed policies; any time force is used the Sheriff’s Office takes it seriously. Our thoughts are with the man’s family during this difficult time.
 
This is a preliminary press release. The Sheriff’s Office is available for interviews today until 5 p.m. More information will be released by Santa Rosa Police as it becomes available. 
 
Prepared by: Sergeant Juan Valencia, Public Information Officer
Case No: 191127-004
Media Inquiries: 707-565-3941