Teens arrested in connection with Santa Rosa heists

Two teens were arrested Sunday on suspicion of using a pellet gun to hold up victims outside a Santa Rosa bank and gas station, police said.

Ryan James Kahle, 18, and Bijan Almassi, 19, both of Santa Rosa, were arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted robbery, and police are seeking help from the public to see if they are connected to a third potential robbery nearby, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Josh Ludtke said in a statement.

Officers were called to the Bank of America branch in Montgomery Village at 6:14 p.m. Sunday after two suspects reportedly drove up to a woman as she was standing alone in the parking lot near her broken down vehicle, Ludtke said.

The unidentified woman said a “high-school aged male” got out of the sedan, pointed a gun at her and demanded money, he said. When the woman told the teen she didn't have any money, the teen, later identified as Kahle, asked again.

She offered her purse, which the teen took before fleeing in the 2010 silver Mazda.

As officers were investigating the incident, another attempted robbery was reported at 6:30 p.m. about a mile to the south at the Valero gas station on Farmers Lane, according to police.

There, Kahle approached a husband and wife who were sitting in their vehicle at the gas station, wielded the firearm and demanded money, Ludtke said.

When the victims told him they were living in their vehicle and didn't have any money, the suspect demanded drugs, money or jewelry. The victims reiterated that they didn't have anything to give him and questioned if the gun was real, police said.

The husband got out of the car and chased the suspect as he ran back to the sedan. The teen attempted to hit the victim with the firearm before hopping into the passenger's seat and fleeing, police said.

Officers found a sedan matching the descriptions provided by the victims stopped at a traffic light several blocks away with Kahle inside, police said.

The vehicle turned onto Farmers Lane near Sonoma Avenue, and officers closed down all lanes of traffic for about 30 minutes to conduct a “high risk traffic stop,” Ludtke said.

The passenger refused to exit the vehicle, and officers attempted to break the window, police said. After several minutes, he got out and was taken into custody, police said. The driver, identified as Almassi, was arrested without incident.

Inside the car, officers found a pellet gun that “closely resembled” a firearm, along with the woman's stolen purse.

Both are being held in Sonoma County Jail on bails of $100,000, according to jail records.

No injuries were reported, Ludtke said.

Based on statements from the teens, police suspect they may have committed or attempted to commit another robbery near the Safeway store on Yulupa Avenue.

“We don't have a lot of information, and we're asking for help from the public,” Ludtke said.

Police asked those with information about the potential incident to contact Santa Rosa Police Department's Violent Crimes Team at 707-543-3590.

The incident underscores the need for residents to remain vigilant, Ludtke said.

“We have our fair share of robberies, but for them to be very close together and so random and done by suspects that are relatively young … it goes to show that it's important to be aware of your surroundings, no matter what time of night or day or where you are.”

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com.