COHASSET, Calif. — A man who entered the Salvation Army Church on East 16th Street Tuesday morning, reportedly wearing a ski mask, held a knife to the throat of an employee, pushed two other employees to the ground, then tried to stab his mother, who also works there.
The suspect, identified as Lance Earl Rose, 46, fled following the attack, spurring a 25-mile police chase and a two-hour manhunt in rugged terrain above Cohasset, which failed to locate the man.
Charges against the suspect include attempted murder.
His mother was able to fend off the knife attack at the church, but suffered a minor laceration to her hand.
The suspect fled from a church office and was seen by witnesses leaving in a blue Ford sedan.
Chico police dispatchers immediately got out a description of the man and the vehicle, which was spotted about five minutes after the 9:30 a.m. attack by Lt. Mike Weber, near the Highway 32 onramp to Highway 99.
Weber followed the suspect in an unmarked car and called for additional units.
Rose took 99 north to the Eaton Road exit, where officers tried to pull him over without success. He turned left on Cohasset Road and passed Chico Municipal Airport at speeds in excess of 100 mph, said officer Dave Dominguez, who was in close pursuit along with a second marked police car.
At one point Dominguez said Rose was leaning to his right in the front seat, and feared he might be loading a firearm. No weapons were found in the vehicle.
The chase continued up Cohasset Road and entered the town of Cohasset, where Dominguez said the suspect slowed down considerably.
"At that point I think he realized he wasn't going to lose us," Dominguez said, adding the suspect even waved to him a few times on the drive through the town.
The pursuit continued beyond the town limits, where Cohasset becomes a gravel road. After nearly three miles, Dominguez said the suspect slowed and turned onto a dirt road, west of Cohasset.
"He sped up again when he hit the dirt," Dominguez said, adding that Rose drove from one side of the road to the other, trying to kick up as much dust as possible.
Pursuing officers said they temporarily lost sight of the vehicle, a teal 1992 Ford Thunderbird. When they saw it again, parked on the right shoulder of the road, Rose was already running north through thick foliage.
"We heard him crashing through the brush, but there were only two of us there at that point," Dominguez said.
He said going after the man would probably be in vain, and might destroy a scent track for a K-9 unit, which arrived about 11 a.m.
By then, at least 15 officers from the Chico police, Butte County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol had converged on the scene, along with two law enforcement helicopters.
While a 90-minute air search for the suspect continued, officers on the ground set up a wide perimeter in an area about three miles northeast of Cohasset.
Officers and a police dog scoured brush-choked terrain west of Cohasset Road down to Rock Creek, which is the dividing line between Butte and Tehama counties, but failed to locate the suspect.
A red shirt possibly belonging to Rose was found about 100 feet east of a dirt road.
The pursuit of the suspect covered more than 25 miles, often at speeds ranging between 75 and 100 mph.
Weber said he considered calling the chase off, until Rose headed for Cohasset Road, which has light daytime traffic and few intersections.
On the chase up to Cohasset, Dominguez said the suspect was able to stay in his lane, but made one bad pass that endangered an oncoming motorist.
Both Weber and Dominguez concluded that Rose knew where he was going, and may have planned all along on fleeing past the Cohasset area.
The suspect's mother was treated at the Salvation Army church for a cut to her hand. No one else was injured in the incident.
Chico police Sgt. Rob Merrifield said Lance Rose was being investigated as a possible suspect in a fire that damaged the home of his parents last week.
The blaze destroyed a back porch, but was knocked down by the Roses, who used a garden hose to keep flames from their residence until fire crews arrived.
On Tuesday Lawrence Rose called his son a prime suspect in the fire.
Rose is being sought on suspicion of attempted murder, and may face other charges including reckless endangerment, evading police officers, and possibly arson.
Rose is a white male, 46, 6-foot-1, about 175 pounds, and has long, stringy hair. He may be wearing only shorts and shoes. He may be armed with a knife.
Merrifield said he's confident the suspect will be located.
Anyone with information is asked to call Chico police at 897-4900, or the Sheriff's Office at 538-7434.
Information From: Chico Enterprise-Record
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