Santa Rosa man bitten by police dog after chase remains hospitalized

A Santa Rosa man who was bitten by a police dog following a high-speed chase remained in the hospital Monday recovering from his wounds, police said.

Police said Michael Edward Kearney, 53, was driving a Ford Explorer that was spotted by Officer Eric Rhodes at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday traveling more than 90 mph on Highway 101 and weaving in and out of traffic.

Police said Kearney continued to speed and ignore traffic signs after he exited the highway at Bicentennial Way. On Hardies Lane, he made a U-turn and attempted to ram the officer’s vehicle.

Police said Kearney became confrontational with the officer after he got out of the Explorer on Becky Court, leading the officer to deploy Blitz. In the ensuing tussle with the dog, Kearney suffered bite wounds on both arms before he gave up. He was arrested on suspicion of felony evading, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

Kearney was on probation for failing to appear in court on a charge of operating a vehicle with expired tags, Sgt. Lisa Banayat said. However, she said police don’t know why he allegedly fled from the officer Sunday.

“He was not cooperative with investigators. We don’t know why he was running from the police,” Banayat said.