Overview
- Sergio Villalobos-Espinoza, who police say stole a DoorDash driver's running Prius, was arrested after a Saturday night chase in Santa Rosa.
- Officers said he drove aggressively and twice rammed marked patrol cars, and no injuries were reported.
- Police found the Prius after a Flock Safety license plate reader alert, deployed spike strips, used a sheriff’s helicopter, and boxed the car in on a neighborhood street.
- After a hospital check, Villalobos-Espinoza was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft, felony evading, and assault on a peace officer, with an enhanced penalty for repeat theft.
- Santa Rosa operates 129 Flock cameras that flag plates tied to crimes, a tool praised here but debated in the Bay Area over outside access to license plate data.