Crime & Safety
3 Charges Added to Suspect Who Led Cops on Chase
Donald Wayne Smith was on probation when he sped away from a traffic stop with another passenger Monday night.
A Novato man who led police and California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase before being arrested Monday night faces three additional charges after the Marin County District Attorney's office evaluated the case Wednesday.
Donald Wayne Smith, who pointed his pickup truck toward a Novato motorcycle cop during the chase, now faces 13 charges tied to the Tuesday incident plus a felony drug possession charge and two misdemeanors pertaining to a past incident, according to the Marin County Jail booking log. He is being held on a $100,000 bail.
Novato police acting Lt. Jennifer Welch said Smith is accused of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent of great bodily injury after bearing down on a motorcycle officer on San Marin Drive shortly after a traffic stop in the 1700 block of Grant Avenue. The motorcycle officer had to back up his bike to avoid being hit, Welch said.
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The chase ended at a Jack in the Box in Ignacio after Smith led pursuing officers to Petaluma and back. Click here for the earlier story.
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