Yarah Chomicki-Tolan arrested after two-block chase following Eureka traffic stop

A white Kia missing its rear bumper accelerated away from a routine traffic stop in downtown Eureka and was halted after roughly two blocks, Eureka police said. Eureka Police Department Public Information Officer Laura Montagna identified the driver as Yarah Chomicki-Tolan, who was arrested and booked for flight from a traffic officer, and the passenger as Hakim Porter, who was arrested for a probation violation.

KSLG Program Director Sabina Gallier witnessed the stop from outside Redwood Capital Bank on G Street and photographed the scene. Gallier described the moment the car fled: “All of a sudden, the white car takes off like a bullet with the cop [following] right after it,” and added, “It didn’t get far.” The photo she supplied shows the vehicle and responding officers at street level.

According to eyewitness reporting, the driver initially complied with the traffic stop before accelerating away; the brief pursuit covered about two city blocks. Three additional EPD units were positioned a couple of blocks away on I Street, across from the Zwerdling Law Firm, and officers stopped the vehicle after the extra units arrived and the driver pulled over again.

The incident occurred in the morning hours of Feb. 26 in downtown Eureka. Local landmarks cited by witnesses place the initial stop on or near G Street and the nearby law firm on I Street, situating the response in the central downtown grid between Humboldt County courts and commercial blocks. No injuries were reported in available accounts of the encounter.

Montagna supplied the names and the narrow description of alleged offenses; she did not provide statute numbers or booking details in the department’s statement. Booking status, incident report number and any body-worn camera or dashcam footage have not been released publicly and remain to be confirmed with the Eureka Police Department and Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

The encounter follows a pattern of short-lived eluding events in the area, but the names, locations and outcomes in this Feb. 26 incident are distinct: the vehicle description, eyewitness photos and the EPD identification of Yarah Chomicki-Tolan and Hakim Porter are the confirmed facts available at this time. Authorities have not disclosed further investigative details; additional records requests to EPD and the jail are needed to verify charging documents, booking numbers and any surveillance or in-car video related to the stop.