Santa Rosa police officer repeatedly punched in face over towed car: PD

(KRON) — The Santa Rosa Police Department said an incident over a driver’s towed vehicle quickly escalated into an assault on an officer by a driver whose registration had been expired for more than six years.

SRPD said the incident happened Tuesday at 3:59 p.m. when an officer was patrolling a parking lot in the 1900 block of Santa Rosa Avenue. Police said the officer had been working with the suspect for several weeks to help bring the driver’s vehicle registration up to date, but he initiated a tow when he discovered that no progress on the registration compliance had taken place.

“As the tow truck arrived and the officer prepared the necessary documentation, an uninvolved man, later identified as 68-year-old Santa Rosa resident Michael Prater, began aggressively approaching the officer,” said SRPD in a news relase. “Prater was yelling profanities and insisting the vehicle would not be towed. Without warning, he struck the officer on both sides of the face and ears with his hands, then followed with several closed-fist punches to the officer’s head and face.”

After a brief struggle where the officer pushed the suspect to the ground, Prater was arrested and booked into the Sonoma County Jail where he faces charges, including threatening an executive officer and battery on a peace officer.

Police said the officer suffered minor injuries in the scuffle and returned to duty shortly after the incident.