Santa Rosa man leads officer on chase

A Santa Rosa police dog bit a man who fled from an officer who spotted him speeding at more than 100 mph on Highway 101 Sunday night.

The chase began shortly after 8 p.m. when a Santa Rosa police officer getting on the highway downtown spotted a 1990s Ford Explorer weaving in and out of traffic, Sgt. Ron Nelson said.

When the officer tried to pull the driver over, he got off at Bicentennial Avenue and raced across surface streets at over 60 mph, barreling through stop signs and lights as he went, Nelson said.

The officer stayed close and followed the SUV as it pulled into a small residential street off Coffey Lane near W. Steele Lane called Becky Court.

The officer ordered the man out of the car at gunpoint, and when he didn’t comply, he sicced a police dog on him, Nelson said. The driver then complied with the officer’s orders and, after being bitten by the dog, was taken into custody, he said.

It was unclear why the man fled and why he pulled into the Becky Court driveway.

But residents of the area said the man lived at the home, kept to himself, and drove like a jerk.

The name of the driver, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment, was not immediately available. The extent of his injuries was also not immediately available.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.