- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
CHP seeks man who committed Hopland carjacking
The California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah Area office said the incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Retech Systems.
An unknown male subject took a Ford F-250 pickup. The CHP said the vehicle’s owner jumped on the running board to stop the thief. The owner was thrown from the truck but was not injured.
The CHP said its officers located the pickup traveling through Hopland. It fled south to Cloverdale, where pursuing units lost sight of it.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s units later located the truck near Hopland. The CHP said the vehicle again fled south on Highway 101. The pickup was driven into wooded terrain and the male subject fled on foot.
Despite an area search by the CHP, Mendocino County Sheriff’s personnel and CHP aircraft, authorities were unable to locate the male subject, the CHP reported.
A second vehicle, a gray Chevy Camaro driven by Margarita Sobalvarro, 26, of Richmond, was located in Hopland. The CHP identifed her as an accomplice in the case.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies located Sobalvarro in Hopland and the CHP reported that it arrested her at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Sobalvarro later was booked into the Mendocino County on multiple felonies, the CHP said.
The CHP said that inside the Camaro Sobalvarro had been driving officers located two loaded handguns, one of which had been reported stolen.
The stolen pickup was returned to the carjacking victim, the CHP said.
Anyone with knowledge of the identity and/or whereabouts of the man who committed the carjacking is asked to call the Ukiah CHP at 707-467-4420.
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