SRPD officers arrest an armed carjacking suspect following a foot pursuit and a shot fired by the suspect 

On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at approximately 8:24 pm, officers with the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) were dispatched to the area of Earle Street and South Davis Street to investigate a report of a carjacking that had just occurred. The victim reported a man brandished a handgun at him, robbed him of his wallet and keys, and then stole the victim’s light brown Toyota Sienna van. The victim was not injured during the incident.  

Officers responded to the area and began searching for the stolen van. In less than ten minutes, an officer saw the vehicle being driven on Sebastopol Road. After a second officer arrived in the area, the officers attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle as it turned onto Roseland Avenue. The driver and sole occupant of the stolen vehicle, Emilio Torres, a 23-year-old resident of Santa Rosa, fled from the vehicle and ran west on the Joe Rodota Trail (JRT). Both officers chased Torres on foot.   

Shortly after exiting the vehicle, and with one of the officers approximately 15 to 20 feet behind him, Torres fired one round from a firearm. This occurred in an area of the JRT that was extremely dark with minimal ambient light at the time.   

The officers continued to give chase, running after Torres as he continued west on the path. Torres jumped over a fence in the 1500 block of Sendero Lane, where officers temporarily lost sight of him. An officer searching for the suspect on Sendero Lane saw Torres and began giving him commands to surrender. Torres was not initially compliant with the commands but surrendered as more officers and an SRPD K9 arrived. Torres was then taken into custody without incident. A butterfly knife was located in Torres’s pocket at the time of his arrest.   

Officers conducted a search of the area where Torres had been running and located a loaded privately manufactured 9mm handgun in the backyard of a residence in the 500 block of Roseland Avenue, which is located on the south side of the JRT. A preliminary examination of the firearm indicated it had recently been fired.   

Detectives with the SRPD Violent Crimes Investigations Team (VCI) responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Detectives are currently trying to determine if the round fired from Torres’s firearm was directed at the officers giving chase.   

In response to this incident, SRPD Police Chief John Cregan stated, “As our Chief of Police, I am concerned with the dramatic increase in illegal firearms in our community. In 2024, our police officers seized 390 illegal firearms off the streets of Santa Rosa. That is a 51% increase from the 255 illegal firearms seized in 2023. Of the 390 firearms seized in 2024, there was an alarming 125% increase in the seizure of privately manufactured firearms, commonly known as ‘ghost guns,’ with 55 seized in 2023, and 124 seized in 2024.” Chief Cregan continued, “I am incredibly proud of the fact that the men and women of the Santa Rosa Police Department are putting their lives on the line every day to keep Santa Rosa safe. The incident last night highlights the dangerous situations that our officers face every day and the incredible restraint that they demonstrate when faced with these dangers.”   

If anyone has information related to this investigation or believes their exterior camera systems may have captured any video or audio of this incident, they are encouraged to call the SRPD VCI tip line at 707-543-3690.  

Santa Rosa Police Department case number 25-322. 

Media inquiries can be made to Sgt. Patricia Seffens, Public Information Officer, at 707-543-3634 or pseffens@srcity.org.