Crime & Safety
Driver Hits, Kills Woman Near Tent At Homeless Encampment: SRPD
Two men were fighting at a Santa Rosa homeless encampment when, according to police, one of them got into a car and drove toward the tent.
SANTA ROSA, CA — A woman died Tuesday night when a driver plowed his car into a tent at a Santa Rosa homeless encampment, police said.
The police department started getting reports at 9:48 p.m. about a possible crash at Roberts Avenue and Sebastopol Road. Witnesses told dispatchers there was also an argument and a possible shooting right before the crash, SRPD Sgt. Christopher Mahurin said.
"On scene, officers located a vehicle that appeared to have crashed into a tent on the east side of Roberts Avenue," Mahurin said. "There was one person underneath the vehicle."
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The driver, later identified as Clifford Adams, 53, of Santa Rosa, walked away before officers got there, Mahurin said.
As personnel with the Santa Rosa Fire Department worked to rescue the trapped woman, officers interviewed witnesses and searched for the suspect.
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"Eventually, an adult female was extricated from underneath the vehicle but pronounced dead on scene," Mahurin said.
SRPD was working to identify the victim, who was living in the tent she was sitting in front of when she was hit by the car, Mahurin told Patch. Further information about the victim will not be released until her next of kin are notified, he said.
Detectives believe Adams and another got into a fight.
"There was no shooting," Mahurin said. "One male then got into a vehicle and began driving southbound on Roberts Avenue. The vehicle then drove across the eastbound lanes of Roberts Avenue and drove over the female victim and the tent she was in front of."
The other man involved in the fight was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
As of noon Wednesday, SRPD detectives were still looking for Adams.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that would assist with the investigation is encouraged to contact SRPD through its online Tip Line: www.srcity.org/CrimeTips.
This story will be updated as more information is gathered; please refresh your screen for the latest.
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