1 killed, child hospitalized in multiple road rage crashes near Santa Rosa, CHP says
SANTA ROSA – A woman was killed, while a child and a man are in the hospital in what is believed to be a road rage crash on Saturday in Santa Rosa, the California Highway Patrol said.
Reports came in around 2 p.m. that a driver of a Mazda SUV was traveling south on Stony Point Road, just west of Rohnert Park, when they intentionally rammed into a Volkswagen SUV multiple times, the CHP said.
The SUV that was struck was then pushed into oncoming traffic where a Mercedes crashed into the SUV's right side.
The driver of the SUV, a man, and a child in a car seat in the back were rushed to the hospital with major injuries, officers said. The driver of the Mercedes was also taken to the hospital with major injuries.
A woman in the passenger seat died at the scene.
The suspect then took off and was involved in another crash on Highway 101 heading toward Petaluma where officers said he intentionally hit another car. The driver of that vehicle was also taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
After the crash, the suspect's vehicle became disabled. Officers said the suspect tried to take off running, but he was later taken into custody.
It was also determined that the suspect was involved in another crash on Highway 12 in Santa Rosa, the CHP says. No injuries were reported in that crash.
Officers said the suspect was determined to be under the influence. He was booked into jail for murder, DUI and assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Diego Hernandez of Santa Rosa.