Five suspects were arrested Thursday in Santa Rosa after they allegedly robbed a marijuana dispensary and led police on separate high-speed chases. The incident unfolded when police received a 911 call at about 8 p.m. from a dispensary located in the 1800 block of Empire Industrial Court, reporting a robbery that had just occurred. The employee at the dispensary informed authorities that four vehicles had arrived at the business, and several suspects physically assaulted him before stealing marijuana products. Despite the suspects fleeing in their vehicles, the employee managed to provide the police with detailed descriptions of the vehicles involved in the crime.
Following the robbery, officers were strategically positioned in the area of Highway 101 to monitor for the suspects‘ vehicles. One officer successfully located one of the wanted vehicles traveling south on Highway 101 and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. However, the vehicle failed to comply and instead accelerated away from the officer, prompting a high-speed chase. Despite the officer’s efforts to keep up with the suspects, the pursuit was eventually terminated due to the dangerous speeds involved.
Simultaneously, another officer identified a second suspect vehicle connected to the robbery also heading south on Highway 101. A second pursuit ensued when the vehicle refused to stop for a traffic stop, with the sheriff’s helicopter assisting in tracking the suspects. The chase culminated in the vehicle taking the Highway 116 exit in Cotati and colliding with a curb, rendering the vehicle inoperable.
The suspects then abandoned the vehicle on Highway 116 on Redwood Drive, with three occupants fleeing into the nearby neighborhood of West Cotati and Maple Avenues. Law enforcement officers were able to locate and apprehend the three suspects without any further incident. Meanwhile, during the second pursuit, an officer intercepted a third vehicle matching the suspect description on Highway 101 near Todd Road. The vehicle yielded, but one of the passengers engaged in a physical altercation with the officer before fleeing into the Moorland Avenue area north of Todd Road. The remaining occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody.
Police discovered evidence from the robbery in the suspects‘ vehicles, leading to the arrest of 23-year-old Aurya Pratap Singh, 23-year-old Javier Artemio Ruvalcaba, 23-year-old Jacourtney Deshawn Carter, 29-year-old Chermeine Vedell Carter, and 22-year-old Reginald Dale Harris III, all hailing from Sacramento. The swift and coordinated efforts of law enforcement officers resulted in the successful apprehension of the suspects involved in the brazen robbery and subsequent high-speed chases.