Full Notification

On Thursday, April 9, deputies arrested Ricardo Hernandez, 18 years old, Santa Rosa, after a vehicle pursuit.
 
At approximately 11:23 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 100 block Plaza Drive in Santa Rosa for a possible kidnapping. The caller told dispatch that he witnessed two Hispanic men get out of a newer white Honda sedan or similar car, grab a girl, drag her to their car, and drive away. 
 
At 11:35 p.m., a deputy was monitoring northbound Highway 101 traffic at Steele Lane when he noticed a white Hyundai Elantra. The Hyundai matched the description of the car involved in the recent kidnapping. The deputy followed the car as it took the westbound Bicentennial off-ramp. When the deputy saw the car again, he noticed it was now traveling eastbound on Bicentennial Way. The deputy caught up to the car and saw five people inside, three Hispanic men and two Hispanic women. 
 
The deputy followed the car and requested more deputies to assist while conducting a records check on the car's license plate, which revealed that it was a stolen car out of Santa Rosa. The deputy tried to pull it over on northbound Highway 101 at the Central Windsor off-ramp by turning on the patrol car’s emergency lights. The driver, later identified as Hernandez, sped away. Deputies pursued him with speeds reaching 120 miles per hour. The driver got off the freeway and headed northbound on Healdsburg Avenue before turning onto Bailhache Avenue, which turns into Rio Lindo Avenue. 
 
In the 2400 block of Rio Lindo Avenue, Hernandez stopped the car and ran into a heavily wooded area. A canine assigned to the Windsor Police Department arrived to help find him. They found Hernandez after the deputy announced he was there with a canine. Hernandez immediately surrendered and the canine was not used.
 
The people in the car were interviewed by deputies and determined not related to the kidnapping. Two of the people were 13 years old and 16 years old. Deputies found the woman involved in the original call at her home. The kidnapping incident was unfounded. 
 
Hernandez was arrested and booked into the Sonoma County Jail for the following felonies: car theft, possession of a stolen car, evading, and child endangerment. He was also arrested for misdemeanor resisting arrest. Reynoso-Hernandez is currently in custody and being held on $20,000 bail.
 
The Sheriff's Office is dedicated to ensuring that people who commit crimes in our community are located and arrested for those crimes in the safest manner. Occasionally, the suspects disregard public safety for their gain. In those cases, it is up to the Sheriff's Office to stop them while keeping the safety of our community first. While the pursuit was short, it was necessary to stop and arrest a person who has shown his intention to endanger the public. We thank those who were in the area of this pursuit for your cooperation and safe driving as peace officers worked to resolve this problem. 
 
Prepared by: Sergeant Juan Valencia, Public Information Officer
Case No: 200410-001
Media Inquiries: (707) 565-3941