High-Speed Pursuit Ties Up 101

At about 4pm on, Friday, May 3, Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Walmart for a robbery investigation. 

Two suspects, later identified as 31-year-old Evan Murden of Sonoma and 33-year-old Destiny Turney of Mendocino County, were seen inside the store by loss prevention employees, loading up a shopping cart with merchandise that had a total value of over $1,000. 

While being watched, Turney walked out of the store and got into a car. Murden left the store with the shopping cart and was stopped by the loss prevention employee for shoplifting. Murden assaulted the employee and destroyed his cell phone, which prevented the employee from staying on the phone with the Sheriff’s Office dispatch center.

Murden loaded the merchandise into the car and fled the scene with Turney in the passenger seat. Deputies tried pulling the car over on Hembree Lane, but Murden fled. Murden led two deputies and a sergeant on a pursuit through Windsor at speeds reaching 64 mph. 

In central Windsor, Murden entered northbound Highway 101, traveling at a high rate of speed and attempting to evade deputies at speeds reaching 109 mph.  

One of the pursuing deputies did a PIT (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver to disable the car at the northbound Highway 101 Dry Creek off-ramp. Murden jumped out of his car and ran into a business, leaving Turney behind. A deputy quickly detained Turney. 

The active pursuit led to a NIXLE alert at 4:23pm warning of police activity in the Grove Street/Dry Creek intersection and urging residents to avoid the area. A perimeter was established around The Lodge at Healdsburg with the assistance of the Healdsburg Police Department. Murden was located hiding in an outside stairwell and was taken into custody.

The NIXLE alert was canceled at 4:47, but the Sheriff’s Office helicopter continued to circle the intersection for a time before heading south back to Santa Rosa.

Murden was later booked into the Sonoma County jail for robbery, felony evading, vandalism, damaging a wireless device and resisting arrest. He remains in custody with his bail set at $50,000. 

Turney was booked for conspiracy, shoplifting, possession of a controlled substance and an outstanding arrest warrant from San Mateo County. She was later released on a citation.