A typical Wednesday morning turned violent in Santa Rosa when a road rage dispute escalated to gunfire. In a sequence that unfurled in front of an on-duty police technician, two motorists engaged in a tit-for-tat shooting spree, prompting a police chase and culminating in a pair of arrests.
The Santa Rosa Police Department reported that their Field & Evidence Technician was towing a vehicle on the 900 block of Pressley Street around 11:40 a.m., when she saw a man, later identified as William Kammerer, 34, of Rohnert Park, shoot from his black Volkswagen Tiguan into the rear windshield of a grey Nissan Altima. Both cars sped away, fleeing westbound on Pressley Street, with officers in close pursuit after being alerted by the technician.
Caught on the wrong end of the law, the driver of the Nissan Altima surrendered to police on Santa Rosa Avenue while Kammerer led officers on a high-speed chase in the wrong direction. As reported by the Santa Rosa Police Department's Facebook page, Kammerer eventually ditched his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by an SRPD sergeant in a parking garage on the 600 block of Third Street.
An investigation by the SRPD Violent Crimes Investigations Team revealed that the two drivers, both carrying concealed firearms, got into an altercation near Hendley Street and Pressley Street, initiating the exchange of gunfire. After shattering the Altima's glass, Kammerer fired additional shots at the victim's vehicle, who subsequently returned fire. Amid the panic, not one soul suffered a scratch.
Kammerer now faces multiple charges, including felony shooting into an occupied vehicle and felony assault with a deadly weapon, to name just a few, and he is currently being held at Sonoma County Jail. The second motorist, a 20-year-old from Petaluma whose identity has been withheld, was also booked on various firearm-related charges. More details and subsequent media inquiries can be directed to Sgt. Patricia Seffens, according to details provided on the police department's release.
