EDITOR’S NOTE: All suspects named are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
A pursuit ended at the roundabout approaching downtown Healdsburg on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The driver, Ethan William Blaser, 19, of Santa Rosa, was arrested without incident once the chase ended.
Santa Rosa police initially conducted a traffic stop after suspecting Blaser of involvement in a shooting in Santa Rosa on Saturday, Nov. 9. Blaser was arrested on his possible involvement as well as the pursuit.
According to Santa Rosa police Sgt. Kyle Philp, Blaser fled the attempted stop, which began the pursuit. The chase traveled down Trenton Road to Eastside Road down Old Redwood Highway before being stopped at the roundabout. Speeds reached 80 mph, according to Philp.
You can watch a video of the chase from Henry 1 here.
Healdsburg police assisted as the vehicle came toward town. The county’s helicopter, Henry 1, was also on scene.Â
The chase concluded as an officer engaged in a pursuit intervention technique (PIT), Philp said. A PIT maneuver is when an officer uses their vehicle to strike another vehicle in the hopes of disabling it or forcing the driver to lose control.
Police on scene expressed relief that the maneuver was successful before the vehicle entered the more pedestrian-heavy downtown area.
A second occupant, a juvenile, is not suspected to be connected to the robbery. However, the juvenile was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants and transported to the juvenile justice center. The juvenile is not being named due to age.
