Last Sunday Cotati police arrested two out of four men suspected of an armed robbery that occurred in Cotati.
The robbery was reported Sunday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m. Someone meeting a potential buyer for a vehicle they were selling was waiting in a parking lot for the buyer when they were robbed.
“The seller was held at gunpoint by three men who demanded and then took cash,” Petaluma Police Lt. Nick McGowan told The Press Democrat. They also took jewelry, a Bluetooth speaker, and a cellphone, although no one was injured according to Cotati Police.
Cotati police pursued the suspects who fled in a grey Mustang towards Petaluma. The Mustang lost control due to a supposed mechanical failure and the suspects fled the vehicle on foot towards Petaluma. At this point Cotati Police, California Highway Patrol, the County Sheriff’s Office, and Petaluma Police were all involved in the search for these four men that would last several hours.
Petaluma went under two shelter-in-place orders, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in residential neighborhoods. Families were locked inside as the search ensued, eventually SWAT was called and authorities found Julius Hedgeman, 19, and Tahjay Williams, 21, in the backyard of a residential home on Lindberg Circle according to information from Lt. McGowan and The Press Democrat.
“Eventually the two suspects surrendered without incident,” said Cotati Police in their statement online. The stolen speaker and a loaded handgun were found in the vehicle and the suspects were booked into county jail for a number of charges including armed robbery, conspiracy and resisting arrest. The bail for both suspects is set at $200,000.
For Sonoma State Students, or any one on campus, there have been no cases of robbery or armed robbery the last three years according to the annual Security Report put out by the administration in compliance with the Jean Clery Act Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, which “requires colleges and universities to publish an annual report every year by October 1, that contains policies and procedures that are current as of the publication date, and crime statistics for the previous three calendar years,” according to Sonoma State’s Annual Security Report Website.
Still, with the Cotati robbery happening so close to home for most of the Seawolf community, campus residents are advised to make sure they secure their dorms before they leave for winter break.
An email sent out en masse last week read, “In past years, we had thefts during the break. Remind people to keep their doors locked and closed while they are moving their stuff out. They should also remember to lock all windows, cover up valuable stuff if they do not take them home, and put boards in windows if they have them.”
