4 more Santa Rosa teens arrested in connection with gang-related stabbing attack
Four more teens, all suspected gang members, have been arrested in Santa Rosa in connection with a stabbing earlier in the month, bringing the total to 10, police said Thursday.
Six high school students in Santa Rosa were arrested Jan. 17 on suspicion of attempted homicide after allegedly stabbing a man in a park.
Brutal stabbing
The crime occurred around 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 11, when a 41-year-old man was riding his bicycle in the area of Bellevue Ranch Park on Arrowhead Drive, where he saw approximately 15 juveniles in the park. According to police, the man and the youths engaged in "confrontational language" and then a "large" group of juveniles began to chase the man as he tried to ride off on his bicycle.
The juveniles reached the man in the 2100 block of Bellevue Ranch Road, and six of them allegedly began assaulting him and stole his bike. Police said the man was stabbed between eight and 10 times, with one wound to his neck, running parallel to his spinal column.
Several witnesses called 911 and one woman drove her vehicle in the direction of the group of juveniles and told them to stop, according to police. This caused the juveniles to scatter, with some getting into a vehicle and being driven out of the area.
A resident who is a nurse rushed to the aid of the victim and applied pressure to his wounds, police said. First responders then arrived and took the man to the hospital, where he was treated and released. He is expected to survive.
Gang crimes investigation
The Santa Rosa Police Department's gang crimes unit took over the investigation and used surveillance footage that allegedly showed four of the juvenile suspects running to the Elsie Allen High School campus after the attack. They fled in a vehicle believed to belong to one of the suspects.
According to police, all six original suspects were either current or former students at Elsie Allen, with one currently attending Pivot Charter School.
The four new suspects arrested Wednesday are mostly all juvenile males, though 18-year-old Anthony Hernandez' name has been released since he is an adult.
Search warrants were carried out at the residences of Hernandez and the other three suspects, who are two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old. Police allege they found items connected to a criminal street gang at each location, such as clothing, drawings and journals.
All four additional suspects were booked into either juvenile hall or county jail on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery, along with allegedly being in a criminal street gang and other gang enhancements.
Earlier arrests
To catch the other six, the gang crimes unit and other officers carried out surveillance operations to attempt to arrest four of the suspects as they left their residences for school, and one suspect as he left his residence for a court hearing. The sixth suspect had already been booked into Juvenile Hall on a probation violation.
The ages of the suspects who were initially arrested are one 15-year-old, two 17-year-olds, and three 16-year-olds.
One 16-year-old suspect was allegedly found with a disassembled firearm in his backpack. A search of his residence allegedly uncovered a 3D printer and more firearm parts. Detectives believe the boy was using the 3D to manufacture parts for firearms.
Search warrants were carried out at other suspects' residences and police allegedly found knives, gang paraphernalia, and electronic devices, all of which were seized.
Five of the juveniles were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, robbery, participating in a criminal street gang and an additional gang enhancement. A 17-year-old was arrested on the same suspicions, along with being a minor in possession of a handgun, carrying concealed weapon, the unlawful manufacturing of firearms, and being a ward of the court.
According to police, one of the juveniles had already been arrested for his alleged involvement in the June homicide of Felix Vargas, three of the juveniles are already on probation, and three have prior firearm arrests.
Increasing teen violence
The Santa Rosa Police Department has recently resuscitated its gang enforcement unit after an increase in violence at schools and in the community.
Earlier this month, Santa Rosa police arrested a student at Montgomery High School after she allegedly led a group assault on a 14-year-old girl in a restroom.
In March 2023, a student at Montgomery High School was stabbed to death during a fight with two other students. The incident led to the school's principal and assistant principal being placed on leave when two more students were arrested for bringing knives onto campus in the weeks that followed the incident.
In September 2023, two Montgomery High students who are brothers were arrested in connection with an off-campus fight and an assault rifle being brought to school.
In December 2023, the Santa Rosa City Schools District temporarily placed a police officer at each of its high schools because of an increase in violent fights on campuses. Those safety resource officers were no longer present after students returned from school following Christmas break.
That same month, Santa Rosa police said the number of juveniles arrested in possession of firearms soared 500 percent in 2023, and they blame the increase on gang violence.
Twenty-one youths were arrested for possessing guns in 2023, compared with just four in 2022. Five of Santa Rosa's nine homicides last year were gang-related, police said.