FORT BRAGG, CALIFORNIA — On the night of Friday, July 5, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) arrested three men following a police chase initiated by a traffic stop for driving under the influence.
According to the Fort Bragg Police Department, officers were patrolling Pomo Bluffs Park around 10:16 p.m. when they noticed the driver of a vehicle, apparently under the influence, refusing to stop. The driver, Nathan Hoaglin, 21, of Clearlake, decided to flee in his vehicle, accompanied by two passengers.
The chase moved south along California State Route 1, lasting approximately ten minutes. The police followed Hoaglin to Mendocino, where he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a “stationary traffic device” on the Jack Peters Creek bridge.
Subsequently, the vehicle collided with another coming from the opposite direction. Hoaglin and his passengers abandoned the vehicle, jumped off the bridge, and ran toward the town.
The MCSO, collaborating in the chase, found Hoaglin on the 45000 block of Main Street and proceeded to arrest him. The passengers, Diego Ceja Sandoval, 19, of Ukiah, and a 16-year-old minor from Coyote Valley, were also arrested in Mendocino.
During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a loaded and unregistered pistol with a high-capacity magazine. Hoaglin, who was under post-release community supervision and had a warrant for attempted murder and gang involvement in Santa Rosa, faced multiple serious charges.
These included evading a peace officer, endangering a minor, conspiracy to commit a felony, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle after a prior conviction, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
Sandoval was charged with carrying a loaded firearm in public, conspiracy to commit a felony, and resisting/obstructing/delaying arrest. The unidentified minor faced the same charges, in addition to a charge for public intoxication.
Fortunately, there were no serious injuries from the vehicle collision, though the three suspects sustained minor injuries from jumping off the bridge. They received medical attention before being booked into respective facilities: Sandoval and Hoaglin at the Mendocino County Jail and the minor at the Mendocino County Juvenile Detention Center.
The Fort Bragg Police Department urges anyone with additional information to contact Sergeant De Leon at (707) 961-2800 extension 214.
