California

Man in Sonoma County Leads Law Enforcement Officials on High Speech Car Chase

Multiple law enforcement agencies pursued a man in a vehicle who tried to evade arrest Saturday afternoon in Sonoma County, according to officials in the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

At 3:18 p.m., the Rohnert Park Public Safety Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a resident on Carlita Circle in Rohnert Park reporting a family disturbance.

According to public safety officials, the caller's adult son, identified as 24-year-old Zachary Delew, forced his way into his mother's home, destroyed property, stole her gold Honda Pilot, then drove it away on Country Club Boulevard.

Officers arrived at the scene within three minutes and located Delew in the Honda. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Delew refused to yield, and instead drove away on Rohnert Park Expressway toward Petaluma Hill Road, reaching speeds of 70 mph. Delew then allegedly led officers on a vehicle pursuit on East Cotati Boulevard, past Sonoma State University, public safety officials said.

Officers from the California Highway Patrol, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the Cotati Police Department were then called in to assist in the pursuit.

Delew allegedly drove into downtown Cotati, where his vehicle appeared to slow down. A Rohnert Park officer pulled her patrol car in front of Delew, who then accelerated and collided with the rear of her vehicle, public safety officials said.

Delew then merged onto U.S. Highway 101, reaching speeds up to 90 mph. He led officers onto Petaluma Boulevard North in Petaluma, at which point Petaluma police joined the pursuit, and a helicopter was dispatched to assist.

The pursuit returned to Highway 101 and headed south in heavy traffic where Delew allegedly began passing traffic in the center divider. He then pulled off the highway and drove toward the Petaluma Factory Outlets.

As Delew tried to pull into the rear parking lot of the shopping center, his vehicle sunk in mud and grass and was unable to travel any further. He was taken into custody without further incident.

The Honda and the patrol car it hit were the only vehicles that sustained damage. The officer driving the patrol car suffered minor injuries, was treated at a hospital and then released that evening.

Zachary Delew was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of evading police, vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and a probation violation, public safety officials said.

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