Man Jailed as Suspect in Rohnert Park Robbery

A 25-year-old Novato man is among six suspects accused of harassing, attacking an robbing two people who tried to intervene when the group was seen confronting an elderly man outside a Rohnert Park grocery store, police said.

Jared Cavanaugh of Novato was among those arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on Sunday night.

At about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, Rohnert Park Public Safety received multiple calls of a fight involving several people in the driveway area of the Safeway store at 6340 Commerce Blvd. Witnesses told police that two good Samaritans pulled in to a Safeway lot behind the group's BMW and told the six suspects to "leave the elderly man alone."

The group turned its attention to the good Samaritans, a man and woman in their 20s, police reported. The six suspects punched and kicked the younger man to the ground as the young woman and other witnesses yelled the suspects to stop. That's when the two female suspects began attacking the female Samaritan, police said.

Other witnesses stepped in and broke up the fight as officers pulled up about three minutes after the emergency call was made. The six attackers fled in the white BMW after robbing several of the victims who intervened.

Police got a description of the vehicle and pulled over the white BMW during a traffic stop on southbound Commerce Boulevard. All six suspects were arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on robbery charges. In addition to Cavanaugh, the arrrested were Brian Butler, 23, and Whitney Milestone, 25, both of Santa Rosa, Justin Casarotti, 27, and Alyssa Casarotti, 23, both of Petaluma, and Jordan Pool, 23, of Ukiah.

Those injured in the Safeway lot declined medical treatment but drove themselves to the hospital, authorities said. The young man sustained moderate injuries to his face and stomach and the young woman had minor injuries. There was no report of injuries to the elderly man.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.