3 Arrested In CVS Robberies In Petaluma, Santa Rosa

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Three Sacramento residents were arrested in connection with armed robberies Thursday night at CVS pharmacies in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, police said.

The first robbery was reported at 6:33 p.m. Thursday when the Petaluma Police Department Dispatch Center received a 911 call from employees of CVS, 291 S. McDowell Blvd.

The employees said they were just robbed by two males, one who showed a handgun in his waistband, Petaluma police Sgt. Ryan Suhrke said.

The two robbers went into the employee area of the pharmacy and demanded prescription pills from behind the counter, Suhrke said. They ordered the employees to move around the pharmacy area but were not successful in completing the robbery, police said.

The employees saw the two male suspects take off in a white sedan that was waiting outside the store.

Officers searched the area but did not immediately find the robbers.

At 7:23 p.m. as officers were continuing their investigation, the Petaluma Police Department learned the Santa Rosa Police Department was responding to a robbery at CVS at 2075 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa.

Two male suspects reportedly went into the pharmacy and made gestures to CVS staff indicating they had a gun in their waistband.

"The suspects then jumped over the pharmacy counter and began pulling drugs off the pharmacy shelves," Santa Rosa police Sgt. Brandon Mathies said. "The suspects ordered two pharmacy employees to different locations while they stole medications. The pharmacy employees were not injured during the robbery."

The suspects were described as two Black males in their teens who were around 5 feet 6 inches tall with skinny builds. Both wore masks and hooded sweatshirts and left through the front of the store where they got into a white Honda Accord headed westbound on Steele Lane, Mathies said.

The suspects matched the description of the Petaluma robbers and were seen leaving the Santa Rosa CVS in a similar car, so Petaluma police passed along their information to Santa Rosa police, Suhrke said.

Soon, an SRPD officer saw the suspects' car get onto U.S. Highway 101 from Steele Lane and head southbound.

"Petaluma Officers met with the SRPD officer trailing the suspect vehicle and a high-risk traffic stop was initiated on southbound U.S. Highway 101 at Kastania Road in Petaluma," Suhrke said.

The three people in the car were detained. Once officers confirmed they were the suspects in the Santa Rosa robbery, they were arrested on scene and taken to the Santa Rosa Police Department for interviews.

Officers from both police departments interviewed the suspects and continued the investigation in a collaborative effort.

"Through their investigation, detectives learned the suspects came to Sonoma County from the Sacramento area," Mathies said. "The suspects attempted a robbery at CVS in Petaluma but were unsuccessful in retrieving medications. The suspects then came to Santa Rosa and committed the Santa Rosa CVS robbery. The two suspects who entered the store were juvenile males, ages 14 and 17. A gun was not located, and it is unknown at this time if the suspects were armed at the time of the robbery."

Authorities identified the getaway driver as Robert Holloway, 18, of Sacramento. Holloway was later booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy and accessory after the fact.

The 14- year-old and 17-year-old were booked into Sonoma County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery.