BOONVILLE, Calif – The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is investigating a Thursday night armed robbery in Boonville in which money, jewelry and marijuana were taken by several Bay Area suspects who later led officials on an hour-long high-speed chase.

The incident occurred in the 14200 block of Highway 12, according to Sgt. Greg Van Patten.

Van Patten's report said that just after 10:30 a.m. Thursday off-duty Anderson Valley resident Deputy Keith Squires was contacted by several alleged victims – Philo residents Alex Arguelles-Renteria, 23, and Jose Gustavo Alvarez, 25, and Boonville residents Fernando Ferreyra, 32, and 45-year-old Carlos Guerrero – who reported the crime.

The alleged victims told Squires that they were socializing inside a tire shop located in downtown Boonville earlier in the evening and while barbecuing a meal three black male adult suspects entered the business from a rear access point, Van Patten said.

The suspects allegedly brandished handguns, pistol whipped each victim and forced them to lie on the floor. Van Patten said the suspects forcefully took cellular telephones, a wallet containing $3,000 in US currency, jewelry and car keys collectively from the victims.

After obtaining the car keys the suspects gained entry into a vehicle at the shop, which was owned by one of the victims. Van Patten said the suspects allegedly then took approximately 2 pounds of processed marijuana from the vehicle.

After allegedly committing the robbery, the suspects fled eastbound on Highway 128 toward Cloverdale in a burgundy sedan, Van Patten said.

He said the suspect information was broadcast to Sonoma County law enforcement agencies, which immediately responded to the area of Cloverdale.

A Sonoma County Sheriff's deputy was parked along Highway 101 near Highway 128 monitoring traffic in hopes of finding the burgundy sedan, when he saw it traveling southbound on Highway 101 at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour without its headlights on, Van Patten said.

For approximately the next hour personnel from the Cloverdale Police Department, Healdsburg Police Department and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department engaged the burgundy sedan in separate vehicular pursuits. Van Patten said that at times law enforcement personnel lost sight of the burgundy sedan and had to discontinue the pursuit as a result.

During this chain of events, Van Patten said Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies were looking for the burgundy sedan in the area of Windsor when they noticed a different vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 101 without its headlights on.

Van Patten said deputies stopped this second vehicle and found it was occupied by four black adult males, three of whom matched the physical descriptors of the robbery suspects.

These three males were identified as Garrett Alexander Bonner, 18, of Alameda; and Oakland residents Shawn Delmore Ford Jr. and Leon Samuel Patterson, both 23 years old. Van Patten said it was determined Ford and Patterson were on active California Department of Corrections parole.

Van Patten said during the investigation the deputies found that one of the suspects allegedly was found in possession of a cellular telephone receipt that was taken during the robbery.

A canvass of the immediate area resulted in the deputies finding the burgundy sedan parked and unoccupied, he added.

Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives responded to Sonoma County and conducted further investigations, during which Van Patten said they discovered a second listed suspect allegedly was in possession of another receipt taken during the robbery.

Van Patten said detectives also learned the suspects allegedly possessed US currency consistent with the type taken during the robbery and that one of the listed suspects was in possession of car keys that accessed the burgundy sedan parked near the scene of the traffic stop.

Detectives conducted a search of the burgundy sedan and located a total of approximately 18 pounds of processed marijuana. Van Patten said the marijuana was packaged separately in approximately 1-pound bags.

Based upon the preceding information Bonner, Ford Jr. and Patterson were arrested and transported to the Mendocino County Jail to be booked on a charge of robbery. Van Patten said at the request of detectives, the California Department of Corrections placed a parole hold on both Ford Jr. and Patterson.

The driver of the vehicle stopped by Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputies was determined to not be involved in the robbery and was later released, Van Patten said.

Investigations into the robbery are currently ongoing at this time by Mendocino County Sheriff's Office detectives, Van Patten said.

Anyone wishing to provide information in regards to this case is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Tip-Line at 707-467-9159.

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