Violent crime spree in San Rafael ends in arrest of 5 young men
Police in San Rafael arrested five young men ranging in age from 18 to 22 Tuesday night after receiving multiple reports of the suspects vandalizing cars and threatening, assaulting and robbing victims.
At around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, San Rafael police dispatch received several emergency calls about the group of male suspects carrying out acts of violence in San Rafael's Canal Neighborhood in the area of Bahia Way and Canal Street and along the Starkweather Shoreline Park/San Francisco Bay Trail.
Callers initially said the suspects were vandalizing cars and fighting. As officers were being dispatched to the area, additional calls reported that a group of male suspects had also assaulted victims with a wood block and baseball bat before stealing a set of car keys.
Arriving officers learned that the suspects approached residents at a carport on Canal Street and demanded money and alcohol. When the residents refused, the suspects attacked them with a wood block and a baseball bat. After the assault, the suspects stole car keys and threatened to return. When the victims tried to get their keys back, the suspects attacked them again before fleeing the area. Neither of the assault victims were badly injured enough to require hospitalization.
Police surrounded the area to search for the suspects. At around 6:24 p.m., dispatch began receiving calls about the suspects at the Target Store on Shoreline Parkway in San Rafael where security guards said they threatening to attack and harm store customers.
Police also received a 9-1-1 call about another victim who had been assaulted with a baseball bat on the Starkweather Shoreline Park/San Francisco Bay Trail. Officers found the victim who had suffered an apparent head injury and began providing first aid before medics arrived.
Police determined the victim had been approached by the suspects on the path. The group of males demanded alcohol and when they were refused, assaulted the victim with a baseball bat. One of the suspects also stole the victim's cell phone. The victim was transported to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Around the same time, another officer assisting with the suspect search located the five individuals exiting the trail onto Baypoint Drive. The suspects were all detained and positively identified as being involved in both assault cases and arrested without incident. Police said all five suspects are San Rafael residents and were booked on multiple charges at the Marin County Jail.
- 22-year-old Widman Rolando Lopez-Barrios was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, and two counts of conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.
- 22-year-old Danny Waldemar Lopez-Deleon was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.
- 18-year-old Juan Ramirez-Ortiz was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.
- 18-year-old Maguiver Ostavio Vicente was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.
- 19-year-old Victor Gilberto Lopez-Esteban was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.
The San Rafael Police Department offered thanks to the many witnesses and community members who immediately reported the crimes, which helped officers apprehend the suspects responsible. Anyone with additional information about the crime is asked to call San Rafael Police at (415) 485-3000. Tips can also be made online at http://www.srpd.org/tips.
