A suspect trying to escape a pursuit on Highway 101 was arrested after a San Rafael officer pinned his vehicle against a concrete wall, police said.
Casey Joseph Beck, 36, of Antioch was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and evading police.
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The incident started on Monday afternoon near the Sonoma State University campus. A police license plate reader detected a plate linked to a felony crime that was committed in Rohnert Park on Saturday, said San Rafael police Sgt. Justin Graham.
When the Rohnert Park police attempted to halt the vehicle, the driver, later identified as Beck, allegedly tried to ram an officer’s vehicle. Police stopped pursuing him before he entered Highway 101 because of concerns for public safety, Graham said.
The California Highway Patrol spotted the suspect on Highway 101 and followed him into San Rafael. Beck drove southbound into northbound lanes to flee officers near Lucas Valley Road, Graham said.
“Moments later, an SRPD officer, seeing that the vehicle was still traveling at speeds of 50 mph toward stopped motorists, realized the suspect vehicle would likely kill or seriously injure a member of the motoring public,” Graham said.
The officer used his car to stop Beck’s vehicle and disable it. Beck’s vehicle collided with another car in the stopped traffic.
Beck was treated for a minor leg injury, while the person in the other vehicle was not injured, Graham said.
Beck remained in custody Tuesday at the Sonoma County Jail, where his bail amount is set at $50,000. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday morning in Santa Rosa.
