NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sonoma County authorities have released new information about a Sunday incident at a car wash that injured a deputy.
The incident occurred at the Jolly Wash Car Wash/Gas Station, where an employee, Ryan Pritel, pulled a gun on three deputies, shooting and injuring one of them.
Sonoma Police Chief Bret Sackett said the deputies assigned to his department who responded to the call were Mike Matelli, Greg Hals and Mike Schemmel.
Deputy Mike Matelli was shot by the suspect and sustained injuries to multiple locations on his body. This was due to the fact the suspect used a snake shot round, a bullet that contains numerous pellets instead of a single bullet, Sackett said.
Sackett said Deputy Matelli has been released from the hospital and is recovering well. He thanks the community for the outpouring of support. He has six years of experience in law enforcement; four with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and two years of prior experience at Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.
Deputy Greg Hals has more than 11 years of experience as a deputy sheriff with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Sackett said.
Deputy Mike Schemmel is a 16-year veteran of law enforcement. He has four years of experience with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and 12 years of experience with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sackett.
Sackett said all deputies are doing well given this traumatic situation and are currently on paid administrative leave. “We have had tremendous community support and the Sheriff’s Office family appreciates all the community concern.”
Meanwhile, detectives from the Santa Rosa Police Department have continued the investigation into the shooting.
A total of 17 witnesses and three deputies were interviewed. The witness statements, the body worn camera footage, and the surveillance footage from the Jolly Washer Car Wash have given investigators a clear understanding of what occurred, the agency said.
The agency said the evidence demonstrates that Ryan Pritel pulled a loaded 9 millimeter handgun from his waistband as three uniformed deputies approached him. Pritel fired one gunshot, and struck one of the approaching deputies in the upper body. The deputy, who was struck by the round, returned two shots. The suspect quickly hid behind a stopped pickup truck, and both deputies’ rounds struck the pickup truck. No one was injured by the deputies’ bullets.
The 9 millimeter handgun that Pritel fired had a high capacity 20-round magazine. Authorities said the magazine was loaded with a combination of 9 millimeter full metal jacketed rounds and 9 millimeter snake rounds. Pritel had a second loaded magazine in his pants pocket that contained a combination of the same rounds.
Pritel is being held at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility with a bail set at $1 million, authorities said.
Santa Rosa Police Department detectives learned that Pritel, who works at the Jolly Washer Car Wash, lived nearby in the 800 block of Third Street West in the city of Sonoma. Detectives served a search warrant at the residence seeking evidence related to the attempted murder of the deputy.
Detectives are actively seeking assistance from anyone who may have witnessed or recorded any actions leading up to and after the deputies’ contact with Pritel. They also are seeking information regarding any prior contacts with Pritel in the weeks leading up to this incident.
Anyone who has information which may assist the detectives is asked to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department at 707-543-3590.
Authorities release names of deputies involved in Sonoma County shooting, new details about incident
- Lake County News reports
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