SONOMA VALLEY, CA — A suspect driving a vehicle stolen from a Safeway parking lot in Santa Rosa led authorities on a pursuit through heavy Highway 101 traffic before abandoning the vehicle near Sears Point and trying to carjack a passing motorist.
Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies located the stolen vehicle on Highway 101 near downtown Santa Rosa from the Henry-1 helicopter overhead after the vehicle was taken from the Safeway parking lot on Mendocino Avenue.
The suspect drove through heavy traffic, using the shoulder and center divide as sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol units coordinated on the ground. The Henry-1 crew tracked the vehicle from the air.
The pursuit continued to Highway 37 and Arnold Drive near Sears Point, just south of the city of Sonoma and near Sonoma Raceway.
The suspect abandoned the stolen vehicle there and attempted to take over the vehicle of a passing driver.
Deputies took the suspect into custody without incident after the failed takeover.
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