Woman charged with murder in crash that killed Vacaville officer

(Photo by Matthew Keys for Solano NewsNet)

A woman who was arrested in connection with a crash that killed a Vacaville police officer on Thursday has been charged with murder in connection with his death, Solano NewsNet has learned.

Serena Rodriguez, 24, of Auburn was booked into the Solano County Jail around 3 p.m. on two felony charges and one misdemeanor. The felony charges included one count of murder and one count of causing great bodily injury to another person while driving under the influence. She was also charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly giving a false name to a police officer on scene.

Rodriguez was allegedly behind the wheel of a sedan that crashed into the back of a motorcycle assigned to 34-year-old police officer Matthew Bowen. The crash happened around 10:30 a.m. near a gas station at the intersection of Leisure Town Road and Orange Drive.

A fire engine was the first public safety crew on scene, and relayed information about the incident to Vacaville dispatchers. An ambulance transported Bowen to a nearby Kaiser Permanente hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Officers from the Vacaville Police Department, CHP and Solano County Sheriff’s Office closed the intersection for several hours while the crime scene was being processed. The intersection re-opened to traffic around 10:30 p.m.

The CHP is investigating the incident.