Crime & Safety

Man Arrested For Car Theft For 14th Time Following Santa Rosa Pursuit, Police Say

The victim, a DoorDash driver, had briefly exited his vehicle with the engine running to deliver food.

Scene following a pursuit off a suspected car thief in Santa Rosa on May 9, 2026. Police said Sergio Villalobos‑Espinoza, a man who was previously arrested for vehicle theft at least 13 times, was arrested.
Scene following a pursuit off a suspected car thief in Santa Rosa on May 9, 2026. Police said Sergio Villalobos‑Espinoza, a man who was previously arrested for vehicle theft at least 13 times, was arrested. (CBS Bay Area/Courtesy of the Sonoma Valley Police Department)

May 12, 2026

A man with more than a dozen prior arrests for car theft is accused of stealing a vehicle from a delivery driver in Sonoma County over the weekend, police said.

Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Shortly after 8:50 p.m. Saturday, officers were called to a vehicle theft at 515 4th Street. The victim, a DoorDash driver, had briefly exited his vehicle with the engine running to deliver food.

Police said the vehicle was entered into its systems and was detected shortly afterwards by a license plate reader, but officers were unable to find it. Around 10 p.m., officers found the vehicle after triggering an alert.

Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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