Novato Police Arrest 2nd Suspect in Pair of Armed Robberies
NOVATO (CBS SF) -- Local police officers announced the arrest Thursday of a second suspect in a pair of armed robberies at two North Bay gas stations earlier this month.
Police officials said officers arrested Randy Severdia, a 49-year-old Novato resident, on Thursday for a previously obtained arrest warrant for felony robbery. Arresting officers interviewed Severdia about the two robberies before booking him into Marin County Jail.
Detectives connected Severdia and Elliott Malone, a 30 year old Sonoma County transient, in connection to armed robberies at gas stations in Novato and San Rafael on Dec. 19. The first incident occurred around 3:47 a.m. at a Shell Gas station located on S. Novato Blvd. The second robbery happened a little over an hour later at a Circle K, located at 981 Francisco Blvd. in San Rafael.
In both cases, one of the suspects entered the establishment and attempted to buy several cartons of cigarettes. After the clerks at both stores retrieved the cartons, the suspect flashed a pistol hidden in his waistband. The robber then demanded the cigarettes and in the case of the San Rafael Circle K, the money in the cash register, before running away from the scene.
Surveillance cameras captured footage of both incidents. Working with the San Rafael Police, Novato detectives determined the suspect to be Malone, who they arrested on Dec. 23 around in Sonoma County.
Malone was also booked into Marin County Jail on the arrest warrant for robbery.
"We would like to thank the community for their assistance with this investigation," the Novato Police said in a statement. "We are thrilled about bringing positive closure to these joint investigations between the Novato and San Rafael Police Departments."
