Santa Rosa police ram car, use K9 and Taser to stop ‘erratic’ driver

A pursuit Saturday night in east Santa Rosa ended when officers say they rammed the fleeing vehicle and used a police dog and Taser to apprehend the driver.

Officers were called to the Safeway parking lot on Fourth Street after receiving a report the driver of a battered black BMW was possibly under the influence and may have needed medical attention, the Santa Rosa Police Department said in a news release.

Before officers arrived, the BMW was seen driving away “in an erratic manner,” police said.

When police caught up to the slow-moving vehicle going east on Montgomery Drive, they noticed one of its front tires was missing and unsuccessfully attempted to pull it over.

Police say the “vehicle continued to drive at slow speeds” while they followed it onto Mission Boulevard and eventually onto Highway 12. At this point, police said, the vehicle sped up to 85 mph.

One officer ended the chase using a “pursuit intervention technique,” which involves ramming the rear quarter-panel of a vehicle, causing it to spin and come to a stop.

Police said the driver, later identified as Micah Pearce-Henry, 31, resisted arrest as officers tried to pull him from the vehicle. They deployed a police dog, which bit him, and used a Taser. Pearce-Henry was arrested on suspicion of felony evasion, driving under the influence of a drug, possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and violating probation.

Police did not specify which drug or controlled substance.

You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207