Petaluma teen arrested on suspicion of beating Santa Rosa man

A Petaluma teen was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of beating a Santa Rosa man.

The teen, whose identity hasn’t been released because he’s a minor, was booked into juvenile hall on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, felony conspiracy and petty theft, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

Just after 11:30 p.m. Monday, deputies found a man bleeding from his head and face in the 400 block of Hunter Lane after receiving reports of a man there who looked like he had been beaten.

The victim apparently had agreed to meet the teen suspect on that street, but as he got into the suspect’s car an undetermined number of people pulled him out and began punching and kicking him, possibly using a bat or similar weapon, according to the statement. Eventually, the victim ran away. The suspect’s car was seen speeding off, going south on Hunter Lane toward Mountain View Avenue.

Petaluma police officers later found the suspect near his Petaluma residence. The suspect had previously been involved in another fight on Hunter Lane on Jan. 13, during which time the same victim was beaten and another person was stabbed in the back. Five people were involved in this earlier fight.

Detectives are investigating possible connections between the two fights, Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Juan Valencia said.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.