ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — A spray-paint vandalism call at an In-N-Out parking lot escalated into an assault investigation, a string of reported property crimes across Cotati, and a tense police standoff that ended with officers pulling a Santa Rosa man from his vehicle after he refused commands to surrender.
What began as a report of graffiti in a restaurant parking lot quickly unfolded into a fast-moving chase across southern Sonoma County, drawing in multiple law enforcement agencies, a sheriff’s Henry-1 helicopter, and a prolonged roadside confrontation before officers arrested a 44-year-old Santa Rosa man.
Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers responded Friday to a report of a man spray-painting pavement at an In-N-Out Burger parking lot shortly after 1 p.m. Before officers arrived, investigators said the suspect struck the restaurant manager with a vehicle and fled the scene.
As police searched for the suspect, Cotati Police Department received reports of a similar suspect vandalizing a gas pump at the Cotati Speedway gas station before fleeing again. Authorities later received another report that the suspect vandalized a home in Cotati.
At about 2:19 p.m., officers located the suspect vehicle near East Cotati Avenue and La Salle Avenue. Police conducted a traffic stop near East Cotati Avenue and East School Street, where investigators said the driver refused repeated orders to get out of the vehicle.
Officers established a perimeter while negotiators tried to persuade the man to surrender. After the standoff stalled, officers physically removed the suspect from the vehicle and arrested him. Authorities identified the suspect as Nicholas Orourke.
Orourke is custody at the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, and violating probation, according to Rohnert Park authorities.
The operation involved the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, Sonoma State University Police Department, and the Henry-1 crew.
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