Wrong-Way Chase Ends With Crash, Arrest In The North Bay

SAN RAFAEL, CA — A wild police chase ended without serious injuries Monday after officers stopped a felony suspect driving the wrong way on Highway 101.

According to the San Rafael Police Department, officers were alerted of a pursuit in progress involving a vehicle linked to a commercial burglary reported Saturday in Rohnert Park. On Monday afternoon, an automated license plate reader flagged the SUV traveling near the Sonoma State University Campus.

Police said the driver attempted to ram Rohnert Park officers as they attempted to stop the vehicle and began to flee. Officers gave chase but abandoned the pursuit as the SUV approached the freeway, citing safety concerns.

A few minutes later, the California Highway Patrol spotted the vehicle driving southbound on Highway 101 and officers chased the driver into Marin County. In San Rafael, police said the driver began driving southbound in the northbound lanes near Lucas Valley Road.

CHP officers stopped chasing the vehicle while a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office helicopter continued to track it by air.

The CHP worked with officers in San Rafael to shut down the freeway's northbound lanes near the Interstate 580 interchange. Police said the driver continued driving the wrong way over the downtown viaduct, approaching the freeway closure point, and tried to hit a CHP motorcycle.

A San Rafael officer witnessed the car speeding 50 mph toward vehicles stopped on the freeway and determined the driver could seriously injure or kill a bystander if further action was not taken.

Police said the officer used his car to pin the vehicle against a concrete wall along the shoulder, effectively disabling it, but the momentum carried the car into one of the stopped vehicles. Police said the officer and the driver who was struck were uninjured.

A witness later told police the suspect's car was headed straight for them before the officer intervened and saved their life.

After a brief standoff, police took the suspect into custody. He was identified Monday as Casey Joseph Beck, 36, of Antioch. He was evaluated for a minor leg injury at Marin General Hospital before being booked into jail.

The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, San Rafael Police Department and California Highway Patrol are coordinating the investigation, and police expect Beck will face several felony charges, including for alleged assault with a deadly weapon on an officer.

Anyone with information about the case can contact police at 415-485-3000.