High-speed chase ends in arrest

A Rohnert Park man who led CHP officers on a high speed pursuit through three counties was in custody Thursday morning after authorities forced him to abandon his motorcycle and surrounded him.

Luke Gerhard Sasse, 20, reached speeds as high as 120 mph on the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge near the end of the chase, CHP Officer Barbara Upham said.

He fled on foot after dumping his bike, but ultimately gave up, she said.

The pursuit began shortly after 7 a.m. on Highway 101 in Petaluma after a CHP officer observed Sasse headed southbound behind him, splitting traffic in what the officer deemed an unsafe manner, Upham said.

The officer pulled to the shoulder and allowed Sasse to pass him, then pulled in behind the motorcycle and initiated a traffic stop near Petaluma Boulevard South, she said.

But the motorcyclist took off, traveling between 60 mph and 100 mph as he navigated through pockets of traffic using both lanes, she said.

A CHP helicopter joined the pursuit and followed the motorcycle through Marin County, where another CHP officer in a car caught up at the entry to the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge.

Once across, Sasse exited at Richmond Point, abandoned his Yamaha YZF-600R and ran off, Upham said.

But with the helicopter circling overhead and Richmond Police and CHP officers closing in, Sasse reportedly called his father and, on his advice, decided to surrender.

He was taken into custody and was to be transported to the Sonoma County Jail, where he was to be booked for suspicion of reckless driving and evading police, Upham said.