Cloverdale Man Arrested After Standoff Shuts Down Highway 101 Near Santa Rosa
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- A Cloverdale man was arrested late Monday night after a Highway 101 standoff and pursuit by California Highway Patrol officers.
The CHP said an officer observed a white Pontiac Grand Prix traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour on southbound 101 at River Road in Sonoma County around 10 p.m.
The driver of the Pontiac -- identified as 28-year-old Feliciano Lopez Ramirez of Cloverdale -- failed to yield to the officer's emergency lights and triggered an 8-mile high-speed pursuit that ended when he pulled into the center median and stopped north of Todd Road.
He was ordered to surrender, but refused to leave his car. Other CHP units responded, closing down both northbound and southbound 101 at Todd Road at 10:06 p.m.
A Sonoma County Sheriff's hostage negotiation team arrived and attempted to establish communication with the driver, but he remained noncompliant.
Ramirez then accelerated the Pontiac away from the scene at approximately 11:36 p.m., running over pre-positioned spike strips, which resulted in a flat tire.
He exited the freeway at Todd Road and continued westbound for approximately 2 miles before officers used a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver to bring the Pontiac to a stop.
Ramirez was removed from the Pontiac by Sonoma County deputies and arrested at 11:49 p.m. He was booked into Sonoma County Jail for violations of evading police, driving under the influence of drugs, possession of drugs, driving while unlicensed, and outstanding warrants for his arrest.
