El Verano Driver Accused of Drunkenly Ramming Two Sheriff's Cars

A 31-year-old El Verano man was arrested early Sunday morning after an incident in which he allegedly rammed a pair of Sonoma County Sheriff's cars after a traffic stop west of Santa Rosa, sheriff's officials said Monday.

Jose Manuel Javier-Lazaro of El Verano was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and felony evading arrest, according to the sheriff's office.

The incident occurred at around 12:55 a.m. Sunday when a sheriff's deputy tried to pull over for following another car too closely in the area of Highway 12 near Fulton Road west of Santa Rosa. The driver continued eastbound on Highway 12, taking the Stony Point Road exit and turned into the Stony Point Plaza but would not yield to the deputy’s overhead lights and siren. 

Sheriff's officials said that a second deputy arrived in the area and a short pursuit began in the Stony Point Plaza parking lot, with the driver striking a curb during the chase. A deputy tried a pursuit tactic of forcing the car to abruptly turn sideways, causing the driver to lose control and stop, but the move was unsuccessful. 

The suspect drove out of the parking lot and headed southbound on Stony Point Road, with a deputy performing a second "Pursuit Intervention Technique" maneuver and causing the suspect driver to spin out. 

The suspect then drove forward and hit one of the sheriff’s vehicles before quickly putting the car in reverse and hitting a second Sheriff's car in the driver’s door. The suspect vehicle was then pinned in by both the sheriff’s vehicles and the suspect was eventually taken into custody.

Deputies had to smash the passenger window of the suspect car to get access to the driver and pull him from the vehicle. The suspect was found to be extremely intoxicated and uncooperative, sheriff's officials said.