Last night's high-speed chase in Santa Rosa ended when a Pontiac sedan collided with a highway divider after a failed attempt to allude police. According to the Santa Rosa Police Facebook page, at approximately 10:40 p.m., an officer on patrol spotted the sedan with multiple vehicle code violations near West College Ave. and North Dutton Ave. Following a license plate check that revealed a mismatch in the make and model of the vehicle, the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
The driver, however, chose not to yield and instead sped onto northbound Highway 101. In a dangerous maneuver, the driver switched off the vehicle's lights, and the car's speed accelerated beyond 100 miles per hour before striking the median and becoming disabled near the Old Redwood Highway exit. The driver then climbed out of the sunroof quickly and fled towards the Kaiser medical buildings, initiating a police pursuit on foot.
Santa Rosa Police Officers, with the assistance of K9 Ghost, established a perimeter to search the area. "Officers along the perimeter located the driver hiding on top of a shipping container near the Kaiser property", the police statement detailed. Additionally, five other occupants in the vehicle, including a juvenile, received treatment for minor injuries at the scene. Further investigations led to the discovery of a loaded, privately made handgun inside the car.
The identified driver, Jersain Meza, was arrested and subsequently booked into Sonoma County Jail on multiple charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an undetectable firearm. Other listed offenses include hit and run, causing injury and child endangerment. Meza also faced a charge of resisting a law enforcement officer and was found to have violated probation.
