UPDATE: Search for Possibly Armed, Dangerous Car Theft Suspect Called Off

Law enforcement officers from across the North Bay descended on the tiny town of Woodacre Friday morning in a manhunt for an car theft suspect who was described as possibly armed and dangerous.

Marin County Sheriff's Lt. Keith Boyd said a one-square-mile perimeter has been created around the area of Railroad and Elm avenues, where the suspect reportedly abandoned a car that had been reported stolen out of Windsor. Schools in Lagunitas and Nicasio were locked down during the manhunt, officials said.

UPDATE: On Saturday morning, Marin County Sheriff’s officials said the suspect might have fled sometime between 11 p.m. on Friday and 7 a.m. on Saturday in a stolen SUV, a dark blue 2009 Toyota Highlander.

UPDATE: At approximately 5:05 p.m. [Friday] afternoon the law enforcement action in Woodacre, CA ended when the search for the suspect was called off. Although the suspect was spotted on several occasions in the dense mountainous area the search was concluded when no new sightings of the suspect took place over a period of several hours.

The suspect’s identity is currently unknown and is described as a White Male Adult, approximately 20-30 years of age, approximately 5’8” in height, and weighing in the area of 160 pounds. Individuals who have any information to assist in the investigation are encouraged to contact the Marin County or Sonoma County Sheriff’s Offices.

Boyd said the incident began early Friday morning when Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies contacted the suspect after receiving a report of a theft of a dark-colored GMC SUV our of Windsor. They tracked the car via its "Onstar" GPS device to near Petaluma. After making contact with the suspect, a Taser gun was used unsuccessfully and the suspect fled, but not before making multiple threats to deputies, Boyd said.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s or 30s who is 5-8 and approximately 160 pounds with his hair pulled back. He was last seen wearing a burgundy shirt and blue-gray sweatpants, Boyd said.

Sonoma Sheriff's officials tracked the suspect vehicle via Onstar to West Marin, advising Marin Sheriff's deputies at around 6:30 a.m. that the suspect at large may be armed and dangerous, Boyd said.

Sheriff's deputies in West Marin tracked the SUV as it made its way down Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd. into Point Reyes, over to Bolinas and as far as Fairfax via Fairfax-Bolinas Road. Sheriff's deputies eventually tried to pull the SUV over in West Marin but were unsuccessful, Boyd said.

A chase ensued through the wet and foggy conditions along Sir Francis Drake Blvd., and the suspect abandoned the vehicle in Woodacre at around 7:50 a.m., fleeing into the hilly and forested area that contains many fire trails.

Two dozen law officers from the Sheriff’s offices of both Sonoma and Marin, as well as Fairfax, Central Marin Police, Novato Police and California Highway Patrol have been searching the area around Woodacre for the suspect. A fixed-wing plane from the CHP searched the area until weather conditions worsened and it was grounded, California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay said.

Authorities have set up a command post this morning at Central Avenue and Park Street in Woodacre, Barclay said.

Abel Medrano, who works at the Woodacre Country Market and Deli at 175 San Geronimo Valley Road, said he hadn’t seen the police activity because he has been busy inside the market working but that several customers have told him about it. Patrons told him that there are lots of police with guns drawn, and that there was a small plane flying in the area Friday morning, Medrano said.

Barclay said the CHP was told the man might have committed another crime before the vehicle was stolen.

--Bay City News Service contibuted to this report. Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.