Vehicle chased by Sonoma deputies leaves path of destruction; Driver arrested

SONOMA -- A man who led Sonoma County sheriff's deputies on a vehicle chase early Friday morning rammed a patrol vehicle and left a path of destruction before deputies shot at him with a less-than-lethal round and placed him under arrest.

The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post the incident began just after 2 a.m. Friday when a Sonoma police deputy spotted a maroon Jeep driven by Luis Zamora-Corona on West Napa Street at 1st Street West in the City of Sonoma. The city contracts with the county sheriff's department to provide law enforcement services.

The 32-year-old Zamora-Corona was wanted for allegedly violating a protective order in separate incidents Wednesday evening in the area of 2nd Street West in the city of Sonoma. The deputy attempted a traffic stop on the Jeep but the vehicle continued driving slowly and eventually sped away. The deputy gave chase through East Napa Street, 1st Street East, and eventually out of Sonoma, through Glen Ellen and along Highway 12 north toward Santa Rosa.

Other deputies from the sheriff's office joined in the pursuit through the Sonoma Valley into Santa Rosa, where police officers successfully used a spike strip on Highway 12 near Farmer's Lane. The Jeep rolled with two front tires punctured along 4th Street from Farmer's Lane until it came to a stop in front of 707 4th St. where deputies from the Sonoma Police Department, the sheriff's office, and officers from Santa Rosa PD awaited. 

Instead of yielding, however, the Zamora-Corona accelerated again, driving into the front of the store at 707 4th Street just feet from a person sleeping on the ground near the entrance to the building, the sheriff's office said. The Jeep then was put in reverse, ramming a sheriff's patrol car and nearly hitting two deputies, according to the sheriff's office. 

The vehicle continued driving down the sidewalk, running over planter boxes and parking meters until it became disabled on a small tree. Deputies fired a sponge round from a low-lethal gun through the back window, possibly striking Zamora-Corona, the sheriff's office said.

At that point Zamora-Corona, exited the vehicle and begin complying with the commands given. He was wearing body armor at the time of his arrest, according to the sheriff's office. The sponge round did not cause any injury. 

Zamora-Corona was booked at the Sonoma County jail on charges of felony evading and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. He was being held on $30,000 bail for the pursuit charges. In addition, he was also arrested on the original charges of violating a protective order and bail was set at $15,000 for that case.

The Sonoma Police Department understands the danger a vehicle pursuit poses to the involved deputies and the public. Every pursuit is continuously evaluated for the severity of the crime and the danger to the community," said a press statement from the department. "The Sonoma Police Department takes domestic violence cases very seriously, knowing that these cases often escalate with each occurrence. For that reason, the pursuit which took place early this morning was a necessary reaction to Mr. Zamora-Corona's failure to stop to prevent any future violence against the protected persons."