Man Steals Trailer, Leads Police on Bizarre Chase Through Rohnert Park

A Petaluma man allegedly stole a trailer parked outside Wal-Mart then smashed into cars and through several backyards as he attempted to hit a police officer with the vehicle.

The bizarre incident began Monday around 8am when 46-year-old Matthew Knope allegedly stole a truck and landscape trailer from the Wal-Mart, according to police. He then started to drive erratically, hitting parked cars in the D section, before driving to Emily Avenue.

Then after several laps on a street with a dead end, Knope steered the trailer up a driveway, knocking down a fence. With the trailer in tow, he smashed through three backyard fences, before aiming the vehicle toward a Rohnert Park police officer.

“He came blasting through the wooden fence of another yard and dragged the recycle can down the street,” said Sgt. Aaron Johnson. “He saw me on my police motorcycle and decided I was his target. He accelerated and started swerving at me until I was able to maneuver out of the way.”

Johnson was not injured in the incident.

Knope then drove out onto Rohnert Park Expressway, reaching speeds of 60-65 miles an hour. He arrived at Budget Inn and began doing laps, hitting two cars and eventually driving into a building. The suspect then ran out of the trailer and into a motel room, where he was eventually taken into custody. 

Police believe Knope may have been under the influence of drugs. He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, possession of stolen property, violation of probation and evading a police officer.

Like Rohnert Park-Cotati Patch on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. And sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter. Have an opinion about what’s going on? Share it with a blog.