Santa Rosa officer attacked while towing vehicle with expired registration
A Santa Rosa police officer was attacked while towing a vehicle with an expired registration on Tuesday, police said.
Santa Rosa Police said the officer was working with the vehicle owner for several weeks after finding a vehicle with its registration expired for over six years.
When the officer learned the vehicle was still not registered, he began the towing process around 4 p.m. on the 1900 block of Santa Rosa Avenue, police said.
Police said that a man, not involved in the situation, "aggressively" approached the officer during the towing process, yelled profanities and said that the vehicle would not be towed.
The man allegedly struck the officer's face and then punched him several times. Police said the officer pushed the man to the ground and detained him after a brief struggle.
Police identified the suspect as 68-year-old Michael Prater of Santa Rosa. He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of threatening an executive officer and battery on a peace officer.
The officer had minor injuries.
