Police: Fatal crash near Rohnert Park shopping center was suicide

The single-vehicle collision, reported shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.|

MADISON SMALSTIG

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

June 4, 2023

Where to find help in Sonoma County

New Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

How it works: Routes callers to trained mental health professionals at regional crisis centers, who then refer those in need to local crisis support services.

Other resources for those experiencing mental health crises:

Sonoma County Crisis Stabilization Unit: 707-576-8181

Sonoma County Behavioral Health Services: 707-565-6900

24-hour toll-free hotline is administered by the North Bay Suicide Prevention Program of Buckelew Programs: 855-587-6373

National Alliance on Mental Illness: Sonoma County: 866-960-6264

LifeWorks of Sonoma County: 707-568-2300

The cause of an early morning crash in Rohnert Park, which left one person dead Saturday, has been determined to be suicide, according to officials.

The single-vehicle collision, reported shortly before 4 a.m., occurred in the 600 block of the Rohnert Park Expressway, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

Police, fire and medical personnel arrived within minutes of the report and found an overturned gray, two-door sedan in the eastbound lanes of the roadway. Emergency personnel found an unresponsive man in the driver’s seat.

The man, whose identity was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to an alert issued by police.

Authorities closed off the eastbound lanes from the shopping center entrance to Labath Avenue for about five hours Saturday while the crash was investigated.

Investigators determined the sedan flipped over after it was driven into a shopping center sign.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.