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Petaluma police arrest man accused of attempting string of bicycle thefts

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Petaluma police arrested a 29-year-old transient man suspected of stealing a bicycle from a garage then riding the bike to several other residences in botched attempts at additional burglaries, officials said.

Mark Garcia was booked into the Sonoma County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting officers and other charges.

The investigation began about 4:30 p.m. Saturday when a resident near East Washington and Lakeville streets called police to say his high-end racing bicycle was taken from his home, Petaluma Police Sgt. Lance Novello said.

An hour later, as officers were investigating that report, they got a call from a man who said he encountered a stranger in his garage, ostensibly trying to steal things, according to police. The resident chased after the stranger and told police the man, after some pushing and shoving, swung a bicycle at him and got away, Novello said.

At 6 p.m., residents about a mile away from that incident reported a strange man with a knife in their home, and in fear they fled, according to police.

By this time, Petaluma police and the Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies were already nearby investigating the earlier incidents and quickly surrounded the house, Novello said. Garcia was inside and tried to flee, but was confronted by law enforcement outside, officials said.

Officers ordered him to stop but “he actively fought them,” police officials said in a statement. Petaluma police used a trained dog to subdue Garcia.

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