Two injured, one arrested after fight in south Santa Rosa

A fight involving knives and bottles in a southern Santa Rosa neighborhood left two men injured with slash wounds, two others at large and one arrested after a police dog bit him when he wouldn’t surrender, according to a Sonoma County sheriff’s spokeswoman.

Several callers reported a fight in the Barbara Drive and Moorland Avenue area involving several armed people starting at about 6:25 p.m. Sunday, sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said Monday.

Arriving deputies spotted three males fleeing on bicycles and found two injured men at the scene of the fight. Broken glass littered the roadway. The injured men were bleeding from slashes to their faces and heads, apparently caused by a knife, Focha said.

Several deputies arrived to search for suspects, aided by the sheriff’s helicopter crew, a deputy’s patrol dog, the CHP and Santa Rosa police officers.

As the suspects rode off, two apparently ditched their bikes and made their getaway on foot. At about 7:50 p.m., a deputy and his dog found one man hiding in a Dutton Avenue industrial area. Focha said the man ignored repeated warnings that he would face the dog if he didn’t come out of hiding. Eventually, the deputy released the canine, who found the suspect and bit him on the leg.

Deputies arrested Ivan Martinez, 19, of Santa Rosa on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and five counts of violating pretrial probation regulations stemming from an earlier arrest, Focha said.

Martinez was taken to a hospital for medical aid and then booked into the Sonoma County Jail. He remained in custody Monday afternoon in lieu of $105,000 bail.

The two injured men were taken by ambulance to a hospital, where they were treated and released.

Focha declined to say what sparked the fight but said detectives didn’t believe it involved gang issues. She said no knives were found and that deputies believe there were five people involved.

Focha asked anyone with information about the two men who fled to contact the sheriff’s tip line at 565-8521. Information also may be submitted on the sheriff’s website using the “silent witness” form.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com or Twitter@rossmannreport.