Santa Rosa man in stolen car arrested after 120 mph chase

A man driving a stolen car was arrested in Petaluma Thursday morning after leading police officers on a 20-minute vehicle pursuit that began in Healdsburg and reached speeds of 120 mph, the Healdsburg Police Department said.

With guns drawn, officers took Christopher Robert Iakovkin, 23, into custody after the vehicle spun out of control in Petaluma, causing the Santa Rosa man to crash into a center divide on southbound Highway 101, Healdsburg Police Sgt. Nick Castaneda said.

Officers surrounded the stolen blue Lincoln Town Car, but Iakovkin fled on foot, Castaneda said. He jumped over the highway’s center divider, crossed the busy northbound lanes and climbed over a chain-link fence. Iakovkin tried to hide in a nearby area overgrow with weeds and bushes, but eventually surrendered to police, Castaneda said.

There were no reported injuries or additional crashes in connection to the pursuit, though Iakovkin did run several cars off the roadway and caused a Ford Mustang to spin out of control near Petaluma, Castaneda said.

“We were very fortunate,” Castaneda said. “He was driving recklessly and had no intention of stopping.”

Iakovkin caught the attention of the Healdsburg Police Department at about 9 a.m., when an officer saw the blue Lincoln driving over double yellow lines and speeding in a 25 mph zone near the Healdsburg roundabout, Castaneda said. The officer checked the car’s plates against state records and realized the vehicle was reported stolen out of Ukiah about an hour earlier.

The officer attempted to stop the car, though Iakovkin continued onto nearby southbound Highway 101. Deputies with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, as well as CHP and Petaluma police officers aided with the pursuit, Castaneda said.

Iakovkin was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, reckless evading and resisting arrest, inmate logs showed. Officers were investigating whether Iakovkin stole the car, Castaneda said.

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