Santa Rosa Man Arrested for Alleged Drunk Driving, Hit-and-Run
SANTA ROSA, CA — “On September 27, 2026, at approximately 5:33 p.m., the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) Communications Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a collision between a vehicle and a bicyclist in the 2000 block of Pioneer Way. The involved vehicle fled the area immediately following the collision (Collision #1). The bicyclist sustained significant injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Several witnesses provided SRPD dispatch with a vehicle description and officers on scene obtained photographs of the vehicle body from witnesses. SRPD Dispatch utilized those descriptions and Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology in the area of the collision to identify the suspect vehicle and share those details with officers.
At approximately 5:41 p.m., while searching for the suspect vehicle, an officer traveling westbound on College Avenue near Dutton Avenue observed the vehicle traveling eastbound past his position. As the officer attempted a U-turn, the vehicle accelerated to a high rate of speed and swerved between traffic lanes as it continued toward Highway 101.
When the officer reached the southbound Highway 101 on- and off-ramps, he located a single vehicle disabled in the intersection as the result of a collision (Collision #2). Looking further east, the officer observed additional dust and debris and located three more disabled vehicles from a separate collision near the northbound Highway 101 on- and off-ramps (Collision #3). The original hit-and-run suspect vehicle, occupied by two individuals, was among the vehicles involved in that final collision.
The driver and passenger were detained at the scene by the trailing officer and transported to a local hospital with minor to moderate injuries. Through a thorough investigation, officers were able to positively identify the suspect who was driving the vehicle. While at the hospital, investigators initiated a DUI investigation and subsequently arrested 20-year-old Santa Rosa resident Ovidio Pichinte-Laguan for driving under the influence of alcohol. At the time of his arrest, Pichinte-Laguan was on probation stemming from a prior DUI conviction.
Pichinte-Laguan was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on the following charges:
VC 20001(a) – Hit and run causing injury
VC 23153(a) – Driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury
VC 23153(b) – Driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury (0.08% BAC or greater)
PC 1203.2 – Violation of probation
The roadway was closed for approximately one hour while Traffic Accident Investigators and officers processed the collision scenes for evidence, located and interviewed witnesses, and awaited tow companies to clear the disabled vehicles from the traffic lanes.
All the collision investigations are ongoing. Anyone who witnessed any of these collisions or has additional information is encouraged to contact SRPD Accident Investigator C. Zepeda at czepeda@srcity.org
Santa Rosa Police Department case numbers 26-10678, 26-10679, and 26-10680.”
