1 arrest in attempted Santa Rosa coin store heist; 2nd suspect at large

One of two suspects wanted in connection with the foiled robbery of a Santa Rosa coin shop over the weekend was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Kevin Payne, 29, of Ontario, is suspected of entering the Big Oak Plaza Coins store on West Third Street with another man Saturday morning and trying to make off with trays of valuable coins before they were stopped by store employees. Payne is suspected of firing a single shot from a semi-automatic handgun at one of the workers as he fled.

Police are still searching for the other suspect.

Los Angeles police officers arrested Payne on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery. He was driving the Ford Focus sedan in which he and the other suspect were spotted leaving the scene of Saturday’s heist, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Santa Rosa detectives helped coordinate Payne’s arrest, said Lt. John Cregan.

Payne also had the gun used in the robbery, which he was legally barred from possessing as a result of a previous manslaughter conviction from a fatal 2011 stabbing in Guerneville, Cregan said.

Payne was reported to be visiting for a musical gig at the time of the 2011 stabbing, but police believe he has ties to Sonoma County.

“What those ties are, I can’t tell you,” Cregan said. “That’s one of the things that we’re still actively pursuing ... to see if we can locate subjects associated with him who could be the unknown suspect in this case.”

Payne remains in custody in Los Angeles County, where he was interviewed by Santa Rosa detectives. He will be extradited to Sonoma County in the coming days, Cregan said.

Santa Rosa police haven’t confirmed the identity of the other man suspected of involvement in Saturday’s robbery. He was described as a 25- to 35-year-old white man with short brown hair and a cheek piercing with a clear round stone implanted high on his right cheekbone. He weighs about 190 to 200 pounds and possibly has tattoos on his right arm and hand, police said.

Police believe the unidentified suspect was involved in a previous theft of the coin shop July 5, when the man allegedly stole gold nuggets worth as much as $5,000.

The coin store was also robbed June 28, but police don’t believe Payne or the other suspect were involved in that incident, which is still under investigation, Cregan said.

A reward of as much as $2,500 - extended through the “Take Back our Community Fund” overseen by the Sonoma County Alliance - is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the remaining suspect. Anyone with information about the case should call Santa Rosa police at 707-543-3670.

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or jd.morris@pressdemocrat.com.