The infamous organized retail theft schemes associated with California’s urban environments began their reach northward this week when a three-man crew out of Oakland rushed a Santa Rosa sporting goods store stuffing merchandise into garbage bags before making a run for it. A traffic pursuit ensued with the suspects exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour before ending in a traffic collision.
Sonoma County investigators would determine that the trio were suspects in a series of similar robberies throughout the Bay Area stealing over $100,000 worth of merchandise from multiple businesses.
Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) responded to reports of an organized retail theft at Dick’s Sporting Goods located at 1975 Cleveland Avenue on March 11, 2024, at around 2:46 p.m., according to a press release from the department.
Employees at the store notified authorities that three individuals had loaded a significant amount of merchandise into garbage bags before fleeing the scene. The employees provided SRPD with a description of the vehicle and its license plate as the suspects made their escape.
Shortly after the incident was reported, an SRPD officer spotted the vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 101 near Hearn Avenue. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Henry-1 helicopter also observed the vehicle entering southbound Highway 101. Henry-1 coordinated with additional SCSO deputies for assistance with a traffic stop.
Upon the deputies’ attempt to stop the vehicle, a pursuit ensued, resulting in a traffic collision in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 between Cotati and Petaluma. All three suspects were apprehended by responding deputies near the collision site.
SRPD’s Property Crimes Investigations Team took over the theft investigation and discovered that the suspects were likely responsible for similar thefts at several Bay Area Dick’s Sporting Goods stores. Total losses attributed to this theft crew were estimated to be over $75,000, as reported by employees.
During a search of the crashed vehicle, detectives found over $5,800 worth of stolen merchandise, clothing worn by the suspects during the Santa Rosa theft, and a loaded privately manufactured firearm concealed within the vehicle.
Although all three suspects sustained minor injuries from the collision, they were booked into the Sonoma County Jail after receiving medical clearance. The suspects were identified as 23-year-old Brandon Owens, 20-year-old Heaven Henry, and 22-year-old Roy Andrew Jr., all residents of Oakland.
Owens was arrested on charges including organized retail theft, conspiracy, burglary, and firearm-related offenses. Henry faces similar charges along with resisting/obstructing and providing a false name to a peace officer. Andrew was arrested for organized retail theft, conspiracy, burglary, firearm-related offenses, and vehicle pursuit charges, in addition to an outstanding felony warrant for robbery/gun charges.
The vehicle pursuit and traffic collision are currently under investigation by the SCSO and California Highway Patrol, respectively.
It must be stated that the charges the three men face have not been proven in a court of law. Following the legal principle of the presumption of innocence, the men should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Quit your woke bs about innocent. This is organized crime. Wait till it comes farther north. All the crews in Oakland know dumb woke libtards live in mendo and that up there we can get away with it.
Right… one of the core principles of the American justice system is “woke bs”. ?
Thank you Matt, for your great reporting. And also thanks for not being afraid respond to idiots like snr Mendoza.
You have brain rot Mendoza. Try to think for yourself & not fall prey to whatever narrow minded propaganda you subscribe to! You, & those like you, who blame “libtards” or “woke” ideology for what is, & has always been, human nature, is just weak, lazy & an excuse to lay blame & hatred on people you feel superior to. You’re part of the problem, buddy! Be apart of the solution!
Kudos to SRPD and Sonoma Sheriffs for apprehending these offenders. Organized theft crews have been getting away with “highway” robbery for too long, to the detriment of businesses and law-abiding residents. Time for them to get caught, charged, tried, and sentenced.
My gut says that the courts in our region are going to be a big surprise to these individuals..
The checkout woman at Safeway told me the transients, not organized theft rings, just walk out the emergency exit with an arm load of goods where their friend is waiting with a parked car. In Ukiah. Theft is a nice dopamine hit, plus now we can all watch as our right to select our own goods from storehouses goes to the machines.
Call me crazy but if food was accessible and distributed,(hell sporting goods too) and people could get off the phone induced dopamine hamster wheel then maybe we could focus helping the next generation of kids.
But wait. Really? SPORTING GOODS? I’ll say it again: SPORTING GOODS?
Are we talking basketballs and standley cups and shoes? I can’t even focusing on the crime of theft- I’m concerned that this stuff our phones have told us we need is so sought after. There is an underground market for stage props?
My kid’s school has a lack of bouncy balls for playing by the way..
But maybe the point is …we are all paying the price with our clean air, water and mental health. We shouldn’t have to pay these stupid companies for their goods twice: we’ve already payed with our lives.Distribute the food and goods to the masses! Or we’ll just take it!! FREEDOM!!!!
This is the meandering path my thoughts took as I read this article. All over the place I know, but where do we draw the line? Are we stealing from them, or are they stealing from us? Thieves, everyone of us.
After the successful thef, this stuff is sold on Etsy, EBay and Amazon.
Fox, you just blew my mind.
These thieves are stealing from us. We end up with higher prices or store closures. We’ve already had a bunch of people steal TV’s from Costco in Ukiah. The grocery stores don’t want employees stopping the thieves because of the lawsuits. If they are apprehended and arrested, they’re back out on the streets to repeat, repeat. Harsh penalties would help. Thankful the employees got the license plate and vehicle description to the officers. They did a great job!
Grateful we have nothing to be stolen here in lake county
If these parasites were dealt with promptly (beaten within an inch of their lives), during the apprehension/arrest, they very well may second thoughts of such behavior.