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Posted by: kwflatbed

By Gary Klien
The Marin Independent Journal

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — A man who threatened to commit "suicide by cop" was arrested Tuesday after leading police on a chase from San Rafael to Richmond and back in a ramshackle 1978 motorhome, authorities said.
Jared Jackson, 36, of San Rafael gave up the half-hour pursuit at 5:05 p.m., when he stopped the motorhome near Highway 101 after winding his way through downtown San Rafael, including a swing past police headquarters.
Jackson sideswiped two vehicles in San Rafael during the chase, but no injuries were reported, police said.
"We're very fortunate," said San Rafael police Capt. Mike Keller. "This guy was driving recklessly and disregarding everyone else."
Police had been looking for Jackson since April 14, when a family member reported him missing and possibly suicidal. The relative said Jackson threatened to commit "blue suicide" - meaning he would provoke a confrontation that would force police to shoot him, Keller said.
Police also learned that Jackson had two warrants out for his arrest: one on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and evading police; the other for possession of an assault weapon and false imprisonment. The warrants were issued in March, and each was for $10,000.
Police were still researching the circumstances behind the warrants Tuesday, but Jackson was arrested in San Rafael last June on suspicion of punching a man in the face and threatening him with an air pistol. He received probation in the case.
In addition, Jackson was arrested in 2004 after beating and choking a Fairfax man in a dispute over auto parts, police said. He led police on an 80-mph chase in a pickup truck before crashing through two fences near the playground at St. Rita's School, police said.
On Tuesday morning, a truck belonging to Jackson was found parked on Kerner Boulevard, and police asked workers in the area to keep an eye out for the suspect.
"We considered him to be possibly armed and dangerous," said San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher.
At 4:39 p.m., a witness called police after seeing Jackson drive off in an 18-foot 1978 Dodge Sportsman motorhome on Kerner Boulevard. Police arrived and tried to stop the vehicle, but Jackson would not yield and the chase was on, Rohrbacher said.
The motorhome looped around streets in the Andersen Drive area before getting on southbound Highway 101. At the Greenbrae interchange, the vehicle took eastbound Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Interstate 580 and went over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge at speeds up to 70 mph. The California Highway Patrol joined the chase.
The motorhome exited Interstate 580 at Cutting Boulevard in Richmond and got back on 580 heading west at 80 mph.
"It wasn't in the best repair," Rohrbacher said. "Pieces were sort of falling off it as the pursuit continued."
The Sportsman went back over the bridge and took the Bellam Boulevard exit, clipping a woman in another car before taking Woodland Avenue and Andersen Drive into downtown. Another vehicle was sideswiped around Woodland Avenue.
The vehicle weaved through downtown San Rafael, passing the police department and City Hall on Fifth Avenue, before heading back toward Francisco Boulevard West. Police followed at low speeds, and a CHP officer rammed the motorhome with his patrol car in an unsuccessful attempt to end the pursuit.
Finally, the motorhome stopped at the Francisco Boulevard West onramp to southbound Highway 101. Jackson was arrested and taken to the police station for questioning.
"He was docile. He seemed reconciled," said San Rafael resident Steve Tulsky, 54, who stopped to observe the arrest. "He seemed busted. He just seemed like he was good and busted."
Police were still searching the motorhome, which was packed with debris, for weapons and evidence Tuesday night.
"There's a lot to go through," Rohrbacher said.



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