City of Santa Rosa, CA, CivicReady Public Safety Alerts & Notifications

Robbery suspects lead police on high-speed chase

3/31/2023 - 12:16 AM
Robbery suspects lead police on high-speed chase

On Thursday March 30th, 2023 at 8:10pm, Officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department responded to the Safeway Store, located at 2785 Yulupa Ave, for a robbery that had just occurred.  Three black male adults, dressed in ski masks, had entered the store.  The suspects stole several baskets full of merchandise totaling over $1,000 before exiting out towards a vehicle in the parking lot.  When confronted by a clerk outside, the suspects were reported to have brandished black handguns and made threats to shoot the clerk before fleeing in the vehicle.  The suspect vehicle was described as a black “lowered” sedan with tinted windows. 

Santa Rosa Police Officers quickly responded into the surrounding area and located a vehicle matching the description entering onto southbound Highway 101 from the Highway 12 interchange.  The black sedan accelerated quickly away from the officer and a vehicle pursuit ensued.  The pursuit continued southbound on Highway 101 for several miles, reaching speeds over 100 mph.  A request was made for allied agencies to assist with the pursuit, which continued past the cities of Rohnert Park and Petaluma.  At one point during the pursuit, occupants discarded a backpack out the passenger side window onto the roadway.  The backpack was later recovered and contained a black, 40 caliber “Glock” handgun with a 30 round magazine and ammunition inside. 

As the pursuit continued toward the county line, spike strips were deployed, disabling both driver side tires on the suspect vehicle.  The vehicle continued driving on deflated tires before a police intervention technique was performed bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.  Three passengers were then taken into custody without further incident.  Located inside the vehicle, were several items of merchandise from the Safeway store.   It is also believed, items recovered form the vehicle were related to other store burglaries in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa earlier in the evening. 

The suspects were identified James Edward Vines, a 21-year-old Vallejo resident, Ettievy Coats, a 23-year-old Vallejo resident, and Gregory Garcia, a 23-year-old San Francisco residence.

All three suspects were booked into Sonoma County Jail for the following offenses:
211 PC – Robbery
2800.2 CVC – Felony Evading Arrest
182(a)(1) PC – Conspiracy to Commit Crime
25400(a)(1) PC – Firearms Possession
25850(c)(6) – Possession of Unregistered Firearm

The Santa Rosa Police Department is committed to making Santa Rosa a safe place to live, work, and play. 

Media inquiries may be directed to Sergeant Matt Crosbie at (707) 543-4012; or MCrosbie@srcity.org
SRPD Case #23-3787