Sebastopol man fleeing arrest crashes stolen motorcycle into truck

A 21-year-old Sebastopol man who crashed into a large pickup while fleeing arrest on a stolen motorcycle remained hospitalized Saturday with serious injuries, though they were not considered life-threatening, police said.

Blake Palma was traveling nearly 80 mph Friday afternoon as he approached the intersection of Valentine and Pleasant Hill avenues, where he jammed on his brakes to try to avoid hitting the truck in his path, Sebastopol Police Officer Joe Furry said.

The bike went into a skid, Furry said. Palma remained upright but slammed into the truck and was badly hurt, though details of his injuries were not released.

Furry, a motorcycle officer, said there had been a rash of recent motorbike thefts in town, including one in May in which a white 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 had been taken.

It came to mind around 3 p.m. Friday when Furry saw a bike of the same make come through a residential intersection he was monitoring. He also noticed the motorcycle appeared to have been spray-painted green - poorly enough that he could tell it had once been white.

Furry noted, in addition, that the license plate had not been securely mounted. When he called the numbers into a dispatch operator, it turned out the license plate belonged to an old Honda motorcycle, not a Kawasaki.

Furry followed the motorcycle from Florence Avenue and Huntley Street, and tried to pull it over a few blocks later. The driver initially yielded to his lights and sirens, then took off once the officer dismounted, heading west on Valentine Avenue, Furry said.

At Pleasant Hill Avenue, the bike went through a stop sign and into the side of the truck. Furry said he immediately called for help and began to render aid to Palma.

Palma was arrested on suspicion of reckless evasion, driving with a suspended license and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Furry said.

Furry said he was still investigating whether Palma had stolen the bike, which was badly damaged in the crash.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.