Officer Hit During Wild Chase In Sonoma County

ROHNERT PARK, CA — A Rohnert Park police officer was struck Monday by a suspected impaired driver, spurring a multi-agency chase that ended in Santa Rosa, according to authorities.

Officers with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety made contact with a man sitting in an SUV near 200 Classic Court around 9:40 p.m. Monday. According to police, officers identified the drier as Alex Reed, who was on active probation and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

As one officer tried to get Reed to exit the vehicle, police allege he put the SUV in reverse and hit one officer with an open door before speeding away.

Rohnert Park officers started a pursuit through the city before the SUV got onto Highway 101, where the California Highway Patrol took over the chase.

According to police, the pursuit crossed Santa Rosa city limits around 10 p.m., where an officer deployed spike strips and successfully deflated the SUV's tires, but the driver continued fleeing at a slower pace.

After multiple failed attempts to get the vehicle to yield, a sergeant authorized a PIT maneuver, which successfully brought the vehicle to a stop, police said.

Investigators said Reed continued to ignore commands to exit the vehicle, and a negotiator attempted to convince him to comply for an hour. Eventually, a team of officers approached the vehicle while Reed appeared to be on the phone and deployed pepper spray in the SUV, police said.

He was arrested on suspicion of felony evading, failure to yield, assault with a deadly weapon and violating probation. A dog that was inside the SUV was uninjured and turned over to Sonoma County Animal Control.

The officer who was struck during the initial encounter was treated at a local hospital and released.

Bay City News contributed to this report.