Police: Man out of hospital steals taxi, leads officers on Hwy. 101 pursuit in North Bay
SANTA ROSA – A Santa Rosa man was arrested early Monday morning after allegedly stealing a cab, sparking a police pursuit.
Officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department responded to reports of a stolen vehicle at 1:30 a.m. at a Santa Rosa hospital.
A man was leaving the hospital with a voucher for a cab, and when the driver arrived and quickly stepped out of the car with the engine running, the man stole the vehicle.
Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Mario Territo, and located him driving on Santa Rosa Avenue. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but Territo continued to drive onto Highway 101 southbound.
Officers said they deployed several spike strips as the man drove on the highway, which deflated all of the car's tires. Territo allegedly continued to drive the car at 40 to 50 miles per hour.
Territo then exited the highway at Lucky Drive in Corte Madera, and as he tried to turn onto Doherty Drive, a police sergeant stopped him.
Territo allegedly left the car while holding a knife, and police said he appeared "agitated." After several minutes of verbal de-escalation techniques, police said Territo dropped his knife and was arrested.
The man was booked into Sonoma County Jail.
