On Jan. 17, 2023, roughly around 2:48 a.m, the Petaluma Police Department received reports of a possible burglary happening. This incident took place on Ely Road North at a marijuana  pharmacy right outside Petaluma city limits. The Sheriff’s Office initially made contact with the subjects and requested the assistance of Petaluma police officers.

There, Petaluma Police saw many vehicles leave the area in rapid succession. It was seen that three of the vehicles matched the description of cars involved in a burglary of a marijuana apothecary in Santa Rosa the previous morning. The vehicles were leaving as the officers approached. The officers followed the vehicles as they entered southbound Highway 101 and a pursuit ensued.

The officers returned to the San Antonio Road exit where they had noticed one of the vehicles, a Mercedes, exiting during the pursuit. The officers tried to communicate with the occupants of the vehicle and it continued to flee southbound on Silveira Ranch Road. Officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to stop and continued to flee.

The vehicle continued to drive south to the dead end of the road; it drove through a cattle hedge as well as a chain link fence in an attempt to escape, before crashing into a solar panel array. The subjects in the vehicle snappily exited and fled on foot. Officers on scene asked for extra resources to search the area.

CHP officers and deputies from the Marin and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Offices responded to the PPD call for assistance. Additionally, CHP offered an air unit (Henry 32) to help coordinate the hunt. With the backing of the helicopter, officers were able to locate and arrest the three subjects without further incident. They were then booked into the Sonoma County Jail.

This is an active investigation that is still being worked on. PPD is asking anyone who witnessed or had any information regarding the incident to contact Lieutenant Garret Glaviano at [email protected] or (707) 778-4372.