Second suspect in Santa Rosa jewelry store shootout in custody
An Oakland man suspected of taking part in a botched armed robbery of a Bennett Valley jewelry store in July is in custody at an Alameda County jail, according to Santa Rosa police, who are in the process of getting him transfered to Sonoma County to face a slew of felony charges.
Oakland police arrested Johnny Tasker Douglas, 34, on Monday on a suspected parole violation, according to jail records. Santa Rosa police said Douglas is believed to have been hiding, most likely in the Oakland area, after seeking treatment at a hospital there for wounds to his arm and side he suffered when he was shot during the July 10 robbery by Ty Visscher, co-owner of Bennett Valley Jewelers.
Jimmy L. Terry, 43, another Oakland man suspected of being Douglas’ accomplice, is being held at the Sonoma County Jail, where he is facing eight felony charges in connection with the holdup.
Terry, who police said was also shot during the robbery, was apprehended in the parking lot outside the store by an undercover police officer who had been eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby.
Douglas was able to make a getaway, driving off in a red Ford Mustang, which was reported stolen in Livermore the previous day, police said. He abandoned the car nearby, fled on foot and managed to elude a massive police search, authorities said. However, inside the vehicle DNA was recovered that was used to determine Douglas’ identity, according to Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Dave Linscomb.
Once police had a name, detectives contacted parole and other law enforcement agencies to let them know they were looking for Douglas in connection with the armed robbery attempt, said Linscomb, who oversees the Santa Rosa Police Department’s violent crimes investigations unit.
After Douglas abandoned the Mustang at the corner of Tachevah Drive and Neotomas Avenue, he somehow made his way back to Oakland, where he sought treatment for at least two bullet wounds, Linscomb said. Hospitals and other medical facilities are required by law to report to police when patients arri ve with serious gunshot wounds, which was done in this case, said Linscomb.
However, at the time Oakland police spoke to Douglas in the hospital, they did not yet know he was being sought in the Santa Rosa case, Linscomb said. Douglas was treated and transferred to another hospital but, according to Linscomb, left against medical advice and went into hiding, until he was arrested Monday.
The jewelry store shootout shattered a bright, sunny afternoon in the quiet strip mall on Yulupa Avenue, home for nearly 30 years to Bennett Valley Jewelers, which had resisted advice from its insurers to install a monitored security door, despite previous armed robbery attempts.
“I never wanted to lock the front door and have to buzz people in,” said Visscher, who had such a system and other security improvements installed after the July robbery attempt, the third time in two years the store had been hit by thieves.
“We wanted to preserve what we love about living out here in the country. Sadly, we had to do it. Our customers have been very supportive and understanding.”
But on July 10, surveillance cameras monitored the front of the store and captured the attempted robbery and shootout from at least three angles. Visscher showed the video footage to a Press Democrat reporter this week.
The videos, which do not have sound, reveal a brief and violent sequence of events that begins when a man, who police have identified as Terry, walks boldly through the store’s open front door, holding a revolver in his outstretched right arm.
The man is dressed in dark clothing and appears to be wearing a mask over part of his face. Longtime employee Suzanne Dodd, 64, is sitting at a desk just behind the counter when the man enters, striding with purpose across the small store. In about 10 to 12 seconds, the gunman hops over the 3 ½-foot high counter and grabs Dodd, who has not returned to work since the incident. The two move out of camera sight for a moment, but objects next to the desk start shaking. Visscher said Dodd was fighting the suspect and kicking out with her feet.
Off camera, Visscher is in the back of the store with another employee - the only other person in the business at the time of the robbery. The employee hits a panic button and grabs a phone to call 911, while Visscher, a licensed gun owner with hours of training, grabs a semi-automatic pistol that he keeps loaded in a drawer in his office.
The video shows Visscher walking to the front of the store with the gun up, both hands on the grip, a classic firing position.
“I told him to drop his gun,” Visscher said as he played the video. “He yelled that he was going to effing kill her.”
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