CrimeBeat: Do police handle slow-vehicle pursuits differently than high-speed chases?

CrimeBeat Q&A is a weekly feature where reporters answers readers' questions about local crimes and the law.

Do police handle slow-vehicle pursuits differently than high-speed chases?

When a vehicle pursuit is at a slow speed - relative to the speed limit and road conditions - police still handle the situation with the same concerns for public safety as a high-speed chase. The main difference is the slower the speed, the more likely a driver will get off with a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

“We don't approach pursuits at lower speeds any differently,” said Officer Kerri Post with the California Highway Patrol.

Low-speed pursuits are uncommon, Post said. But this month there were two notable slow-speed pursuits in Petaluma and Santa Rosa that show why police sometimes find themselves driving 20 mph with lights flashing and sirens blasting in pursuit of a driver who won't pull over.

“There are a number of things behind these kind of pursuits,” said Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons. “Many times there is an elderly or impaired driver who gets confused when they see lights flashing behind them. Other times it's someone looking to jump out of the vehicle to make a getaway.”

On July 9, a Petaluma police officer noticed a BMW driving down North McDowell Boulevard at 5 mph around 1:30 a.m. The officer flicked on lights and sirens to pull over the vehicle, but the BMW kept driving.

A half hour and 11 miles later - after two sets of spike strips didn't stop the vehicle - police boxed in the BMW and brought it to a stop, a maneuver, Lyons noted, that's only done safely at slow speeds. The driver, Douglas Booth, 62, of Petaluma, was neither elderly, impaired nor trying to make a getaway. His reason for not stopping: obstinacy.

“He didn't yield to police because he did not think he did anything wrong,” Lyons said.

Booth was booked in Sonoma County Jail for misdemeanor evading police.

Monday, there was a low-speed vehicle pursuit in Santa Rosa when police responded to a disturbance in the 800 block of West Avenue at 7 p.m. Police spotted the vehicle described in the call and attempted to make a stop. The car kept driving down streets on and around Moorland Avenue at speeds below 25 mph.

The passenger door opened on Apricot Lane and a person jumped out and ran into a house. The suspect was later identified as Francisco Javier Orozco, 27 of Santa Rosa, who had two outstanding warrants.

The driver, Norma Vallarta, 27, of Santa Rosa, stopped the vehicle for police afterward and was cited and released for misdemeanor evasion. Had it been high-speed chase it's unlikely Vallarta would have avoided a trip to jail.

Submit your questions about crime, safety and criminal justice to Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.