Crash Kills Woman, Dog In Parked Car; DUI Suspected: SRPD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A Santa Rosa man is accused of vehicular manslaughter with DUI and two additional counts of felony DUI in a fatal crash early Monday morning that caused a power outage and road closure, according to Santa Rosa police.

The collision involved three vehicles and was reported around 3 a.m. on Hoen Avenue just east of Cypress Avenue in eastern Santa Rosa, SRPD Sgt. Summer Gloeckner said in a news release.

Officers arrived to find all three cars — a black Dodge Challenger, a white Mazda SUV and a black Prius — totaled.

The Challenger was in the middle of Hoen Avenue, while the Mazda was in the front yard of a residence.

A woman and her dog were found deceased inside the Mazda, Gloeckner said.

Police believe she was asleep at the time and may have been living in her car, which was parked on the south side of Hoen when it was hit by the Challenger.

The Challenger driver, identified by police as 21-year-old Angel Martinez, is believed to have been speeding eastbound on Hoen when he lost control and hit the Mazda, pushing the SUV onto a front yard, Gloeckner said.

The impact of that collision caused another crash with the Prius which was parked on Hoen as well but with no one inside, according to police.

Officers suspected Martinez was driving under the influence of alcohol so they did a DUI investigation which allegedly confirmed he was, Gloeckner said.

Martinez was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, then booked into Sonoma County jail, where he was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending a court appearance set for Wednesday afternoon.

"The female victim will not be identified at this time, pending notification of her next of kin," Gloeckner said.

The fatal incident closed Hoen Avenue east of Cypress Avenue for several hours.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call SRPD Officer Kenny Ferrigno at 707-543-3636.

In addition to knocking out power, the collision damaged telephone lines in the area, police said.

As of noon Monday, there were 182 customers without power near the site of the crash, PG&E's website showed. Power is expected to be restored by 6:44 p.m. Monday, according to PG&E.