ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — A man pushed a Petaluma resident, stole her vehicle outside a Rohnert Park Office Depot, and escaped a police pursuit before officers recovered the abandoned vehicle in Richmond.
However, authorities are still searching for the man they suspect stole the vehicle about 7 p.m. on Thursday from the Office Depot parking lot at 321 Rohnert Park Expressway.
The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety dispatch center received a report of the carjacking at 7:08 p.m.
Officers found the victim in a nearby parking lot. She told officers that she was walking to her vehicle when a man approached her and demanded the car.
The woman said the man pushed her, got into her vehicle, and drove away, according to Rohnert Park police.
Officers followed the vehicle toward Richmond with assistance from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the Henry-1 helicopter, and neighboring law enforcement agencies. They lost sight of the vehicle during the pursuit.
Police later found the vehicle abandoned in Richmond and returned it to the owner.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact Rohnert Park.
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