Driver Pursued By CHP Crashes, Damages 6 Cars

A driver being pursued by California Highway Patrol officers crashed in Santa Rosa early Sunday and damaged six parked cars.

The 1992 Acura Legend was spotted by a CHP officer shortly before 1 a.m. driving on the wrong side of the road with its headlights off on Steele Lane, according to CHP Officer Marcus Hawkins.

When the officer attempted to make a traffic stop near Cleveland Avenue, the Acura continued and the officer saw a passenger throw an object out of the window, Hawkins said. The object, recovered by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy, was identified as a 20-gauge shotgun, Hawkins said.

The Acura's driver turned on to Hoper Avenue and accelerated, but the driver was unable to maintain control and the car spun out at Hopper and Mocha Lane, Hawkins said.

The Acura struck a parked GMC Jimmy, pushing it into a sidewalk where it struck a parked Suburban. The Suburban, in turn, hit a parked Mitsubishi Montero and the Montero hit a BMW 325i, Hawkins said.

The Acura continued spinning and struck a Jeep, which in turn hit a parked Honda Civic. In all, six vehicles and the Acura were damaged, Hawkins said.

The Acura's alleged driver, a minor, sustained minor injuries.

The front passenger, Alejandro Cervantes, 27, of Merced, sustained a broken pelvis and hip and had to be extricated from the vehicle by emergency responders, Hawkins said. The second passenger, Seferino Lopez Olvera, 20, of Atwater, Calif., sustained a broken nose.

The alleged driver faces charges of felony evading and possession of a firearm, Cervantes will be charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and Olvera will be charged with being in possession of a firearm, Hawkins said.

Alcohol has been ruled out as a factor in the crash.

Copyright © 2014 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.