Police still seeking driver suspected of running over motorcyclist

Police on Friday continued to seek a driver who ran over a downed motorcyclist on Highway 12 and kept driving.

Brian Michel Johnson, 34, died in the Thursday evening accident. He had crashed into a Highway 12 median near Calistoga Road and been thrown from his Kawasaki motorcycle.

It appears Johnson was killed by being run over, not by the initial crash, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Ryan Corcoran said. The events were seconds apart.

“At his collision, it appears he was alive because we had witnesses report he was moving,” Corcoran said. “It doesn’t appear the collision into the raised median was enough to cause his fatal injuries.”

Witnesses described a white sport utility vehicle that was an American brand, mid- to large-sized, and dating from the mid-2000s, Corcoran said.

“We had a lot of witnesses, on foot on the sidewalk, in the parking lot, in cars,” Corcoran said. “The vehicle that hit him, the witnesses did not see any braking or action to avoid the collision.”

The 7:52 p.m. incident took place at the intersection of Calistoga Road and Highway 12, on one corner of which is the St. Francis Shopping Center. Johnson, a Sonoma resident, turned left out of Calistoga Road and ended up headed east in the westbound lane, Corcoran said.

He then ran into the median, which the motorcycle traveled along for a short time until it toppled, throwing him into the eastbound lane, Corcoran said, adding, “I don’t think he saw the raised median.”

Johnson was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. It’s not known how fast he was traveling or whether any alcohol or drugs were involved. A toxicology test is scheduled, Corcoran said.

He said he is certain the driver of the sports utility vehicle, who appeared not to slow down at all as they continued east, knew they had hit something. “You would know that you hit something or someone,” Corcoran said. “There’s no doubt that they hit an object of some kind because it would have been a significant jolt to the vehicle.”

Because Johnson died, the driver could face charges of felony hit and run, Corcoran said.

Highway 12 was closed in both directions until 3 a.m.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Officer Mike Meiger at 543-3636.

Staff Writer Jeremy Hay blogs about education at extracredit.blogs.?pressdemocrat.com. You can reach him at 521-5212 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com.