Theft at San Rafael retail store leads to gun arrest

On Monday evening, three suspects went to a retail store in the 500 block of Francisco Boulevard West in San Rafael. While in the store, the suspects selected items and began fraudulently returning them at the cash register. After completing the false returns, the suspects received store credit and used it to purchase other merchandise.

Once store employees had figured out what had occurred, a witness and store employees called SRPD to report the incident. Within a couple of minutes, the first officer arrived on the scene as the suspects were trying to leave the parking lot in a car. A car stop was made and the occupants were detained. During the contact, an occupant of the vehicle falsely identified herself. Further investigation into the suspect’s identity leads to her actual name. Officers found that she had three outstanding felony arrest warrants related to burglaries and stolen credit card use from three different jurisdictions.

A search of the suspect’s car revealed drug paraphernalia in the passenger compartment and a loaded handgun in the trunk. The handgun had an extended magazine. Records showed the gun was registered to one of the occupants, who was a convicted felon and prohibited by law from being able to possess it.

All three suspects were arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail on several felony and misdemeanor charges along with one of the suspects also being booked for the additional outstanding felony warrants.