Sonoma deputies shoot woman after chase

Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies shot a woman who rammed them at the end of a wild chase that streaked from Windsor to Sebastopol, authorities said Thursday.

Karen Janks, a 46- yearold woman described as transient and not known to frequent Sonoma County, suffered life- threatening injuries, police said.

The incident began about 11: 45 p. m. Wednesday when someone called to report a motorist driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes of Highway 101 in Windsor, said sheriff’s Lt. Darin Dougherty. The caller said the driver then made a U- turn and exited the freeway.

At 11: 51 p. m., a deputy spotted a 1996 Infiniti G20 being driven recklessly and tried to stop it on Old Redwood Highway near Starr Road in Windsor. The woman failed to stop and drove south on Highway 101 at speeds up to 100 mph with the lights off, and with the deputy in pursuit, police said.

Janks turned west on Todd Road and then stopped in the parking lot of the Antique Society at 2661 Old Gravenstein Highway in Sebastopol. Deputies ordered her to give up, but she refused, police said.

“As deputies approached the suspect vehicle, it accelerated in reverse, striking three deputies and a patrol vehicle parked behind it,” Dougherty said.

Deputies Joel Pedersen, James Falberg, Lawrence Matelli and Daniel Edwards opened fire, hitting Janks an undetermined number of times, officials said. They performed CPR on her before she was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

One deputy was treated and released from a hospital, and two other deputies suffered minor injuries. All four deputies are on paid leave pending investigations by Santa Rosa police and the sheriff’s office.