NORTH COAST, Calif. – A manhunt involving law enforcement agencies from around the region ended Tuesday evening with the arrest of a Lakeport man, one of two suspects taken into custody for a bank robbery and the shooting of an armored vehicle guard in Windsor earlier in the day.
Late Tuesday the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Ivan Morales, 23, was apprehended in the Calistoga area.
Also arrested in the case was Antelope resident Serge Gutsu, 24, officials said.
Authorities said that Gutsu and Morales – both armed and wearing masks – robbed Windsor's Chase Bank shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, shooting an armored vehicle company guard and then fleeing in a dark-colored SUV.
Later, in Napa County, a Calistoga Police officer spotted the vehicle and a pursuit ensued during which shots were fired at the officer, Sgt. Cecile Focha of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported.
The officer rammed the vehicle Gutsu and Morales were traveling in, officials said. The crash – which ended the pursuit – resulted in Gutsu suffering some injuries.
Officials said Gutsu was the first taken into custody and transported to a hospital before he was arrested and then released to be transported to Sonoma County.
Morales fled the crash scene on foot, which led to a massive manhunt involving multiple agencies in the area of Highway 128 and Petrified Forest Road, according to reports from Napa and Sonoma County law enforcement officials.
Focha said a Sonoma County Sheriff's deputy later found Morales hiding in a brushy culvert in the vicinity of the crash. He was not injured, immediately surrendered and was arrested without incident before being transported to Sonoma County.
Both Gutsu and Morales were transported to the Sonoma County Jail, according to law enforcement officials.
Focha said authorities are not discussing the men's relationship or their roles in the robbery at this time.
She said the guard from the armored car company has not been released from the hospital. Focha added that the agency is not divulging any details about his medical condition, as doing so would violate his rights as a patient.
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office is assuming the investigation of the scene in Calistoga, with assistance from Federal Bureau of Investigations, Focha said, while the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Investigation Unit has the responsibility for the armed robbery in Windsor.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said the information and support given to law enforcement by Napa and Sonoma County residents – from tips to bottles of water – was “instrumental in bringing these highly dangerous situations to a successful conclusion.”
Authorities are continuing to ask for additional information on the case. Call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Investigations Tip Line at 707-565- 2185 or submit information on the Silent Witness form on our Web site, http://www.sonomasheriff.org/silent-witness/ . Those with information can remain anonymous if they wish.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Lakeport man one of suspects arrested for Tuesday Windsor bank robbery, shooting
- Elizabeth Larson
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