UPDATE: Sonoma County Shoplifter Escapes After Pointing Gun at Store Clerk

UPDATE: 11:59 am, Jan. 6, 2017

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- On January 5, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a person who saw the press release and attached pictures. Detectives were able to identify the suspect as Jason Sapienza, a 32-year-old Cloverdale resident.

Detectives were able to compare known photos of Sapienza to the video surveillance to confirm his identity. Sapienza is also associated with Danielle Osborn, a 37-year old woman, who lives with Sapienza. Her known photograph also matched the video surveillance from Safeway.

At about 7:45 pm on Jan. 5, Sheriff’s Detectives conducted a search warrant at their home in the 30600 block of River Rd in Cloverdale.

"Due to the nature of the crime, the Sheriff’s SWAT team was utilized for the service of the search warrant," the Sheriff's Department said in a statement. "Both Sapienza and Osborn were taken into custody without incident and airsoft type replica handguns were found in their home."

Both Sapienza and Osborn were booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of robbery, conspiracy and shoplifting. Sapienza was also on probation in five other cases. He is currently in custody with bail set at $58,000. Osborn was later released after posting a $50,000 bail bond.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A shoplifting suspect pointed a gun at a Safeway clerk in Windsor on the night of Jan. 4, a Sonoma County sheriff's sergeant said.

A man and woman involved in the 9:10 p.m. incident at the store at 9080 Brooks Road S. escaped in a dark-colored SUV, but the sheriff's office has posted their photos online, Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

The man allegedly placed several items on the belt of a checkout lane, said he would be right back and then left the store. The clerk waited five minutes, then placed the man's items back in the cart for restocking,
Crum said.

When the man returned and began arguing to distract the clerk, a woman left the store with a basket of stolen merchandise, Crum said. The man then finished arguing and left the store.

When the clerk approached the suspects, who got into a dark-colored SUV in the parking lot, the man got out of the vehicle and pointed a silver semi-automatic handgun at the clerk and told him to back up and not say anything, Crum said.

The clerk went back into the store and called 911, according to Crum.

The white or Hispanic man is in his mid-30s, 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, 160-180 pounds and has a shaved head, goatee and tattoos, Crum said.

He was wearing sunglasses around the back of his head and a black short-sleeved "Gas Monkey Garage" T-shirt.

The woman is white or Hispanic, 40-50 years old, 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall, 150-170 pounds with dark colored hair and a possible bruise around her left eye, Crum said.

The suspects left the parking lot in a Chevrolet Suburban-type SUV, Crum said.

A digital image of the male suspect can be seen here and one of the female suspect is available here.

Anyone who recognizes the suspects in the photos is asked to call sheriff's detectives at (707) 565-2185.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Sonoma County Sheriff