Man who died after fleeing Santa Rosa police officer ID’d

A 51-year-old Ukiah man who crashed his car into a light pole while trying to flee a Santa Rosa police officer Tuesday afternoon has died, the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office said.

The coroner identified the man, who died Tuesday, as Sean Bell. Bell suffered life-threatening injuries and was ejected from a Subaru Forester after crashing into the light pole near a Taco Bell at the Santa Rosa Marketplace on Santa Rosa Avenue, police said.

The crash happened after an officer approached Bell with his gun drawn at the nearby Costco parking lot, police said. The officer saw Bell hitting a woman inside the car and ordered him to get out of the vehicle, a distraction that allowed the woman to exit the car, police said.

Bell then drove erratically through the parking lot and north on Santa Rosa Avenue, where he sideswiped a car and lost control before crashing. The officer was chasing him, police said.

The Sonoma County Superior Court’s website showed a man with the same name and age as Bell was charged by prosecutors on Monday with felony hit and run and misdemeanor resisting arrest. A warrant was issued for the man’s arrest on Tuesday after a scheduled hearing that morning.

Santa Rosa Police Lt. Jeneane Kucker declined to speak about the hit-and-run case, which the Sonoma County District Attorney’s website said originated out of her department. Kucker cited a critical incident protocol that puts CHP officers in charge of investigating the incident and responding to media inquiries.

CHP spokesman David deRutte said he could not provide additional information on the court case as it was a Santa Rosa Police Department incident. He added that the CHP’s investigation would focus only on Tuesday’s crash.

The name of the officer in the pursuit, who was put on administrative leave because he was involved in a crash that resulted in fatality, was not released by either agency Wednesday.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Thursday after the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office provided the date of Sean Bell's death. Investigators knew the information Wednesday, but a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office said she did not have immediate access to it Wednesday evening when The Press Democrat requested the information.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nashellytweets.