Santa Rosa Officer Assaulted Over Vehicle Towing Arrests Suspect

A Santa Rosa police officer was assaulted by a 68-year-old man, Michael Prater, while towing a vehicle with a registration expired for over six years. The officer had been working with the vehicle's owner for weeks to update the registration but initiated towing when no progress was made. As the tow truck arrived and paperwork was being prepared, Prater, who was not involved with the vehicle, aggressively approached the officer, yelled profanities, and demanded the vehicle not be towed. Prater then struck the officer on both sides of his face and ears with his hands and followed with several punches to the officer's head and face. The officer pushed Prater to the ground, subdued him after a brief struggle, and arrested him on charges of threatening an executive officer and battery on a peace officer. The officer sustained minor injuries and returned to duty shortly afterward.