Details emerge about Windsor shooting, armed robbery as suspects set to appear in court

Updated July 13, 11 p.m.

Two men suspected in a violent crime spree, which started with the bold daytime shooting of a Loomis armored truck guard in Windsor on Tuesday, are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Ivan Morales, 23, of Lakeport and Serge Gutsu, 24, of Antelope, near Sacramento, are facing attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy charges stemming from the Tuesday robbery outside the Chase bank branch at the Safeway Lakewood shopping center in east Windsor. Napa County authorities may also charge the men in the attempted murder of a Calistoga police officer they shot at after he cut them off in their attempt to flee.

The wounded Loomis guard, a 55-year-old man who hasn't been identified, remained hospitalized Wednesday at an undisclosed hospital, Sonoma County Sheriff's Lt. Carlos Basurto said. The guard had a handgun but did not return fire as he was shot at least three times by a masked man with a high-powered assault rifle as he was carrying bags of cash out of the bank, the lieutenant said.

“He's alive, but he's in critical condition,” Basurto said late Wednesday.

The stolen cash was found in the back of a blue Chevrolet Suburban, a second getaway vehicle used during the heist and stopped in Calistoga by police there within 40 minutes of the robbery in Windsor. Basurto said they hadn't yet counted the cash.

Napa County sheriff's Capt. Keith Behlmer said they found several guns during searches conducted that night of the suspects' homes, in Lake County and in the Sacramento area.

Authorities released no information about Morales and Gutsu, including prior criminal convictions.

New details released Wednesday about the robbery further illustrate the ruthless actions of the alleged gunmen and the key clues from witnesses that led police to find the fleeing suspects, police said.

“It was absolutely brazen,” Basurto said. “These are just brazen criminals.”

The scheme that wounded the Loomis employee apparently began with a carjacking in the Sacramento area, in which a Suzuki Vitara Grand was taken.

Local news reports from Antelope - where Gutsu lives, according to the Sheriff's Office - told the story of a young man held at gunpoint while playing “Pokemon Go” in a local park late Sunday night.

The armed man reportedly took his phone, cash and the keys to his Suzuki Vitara Grand. Basurto confirmed it was the same car that pulled up behind the Loomis truck Tuesday outside the Windsor Chase Bank branch carrying two masked men.

The first report of robbery came from a 1:50 p.m. 911 caller. Seconds later, another caller said someone had been shot, sheriff's officials said.

One man fired an assault rifle and then took bags of cash from the wounded guard.

Windsor police Sgt. Andy Cash said a teenage boy and several others rushed to help the guard, and stuck around despite possible ongoing danger.

Cash and Deputy Donald Fletcher took over the medical aid, and enlisting the teen's help, they applied a tourniquet and put pressure on the wounds, Cash said.

Without the help of the bystanders and deputies, “it could have been life threatening” for the guard, Cash said.

Cash said the shopping center was teeming with adults and children, a frightening scenario for such a crime and gunfire.

“They were absolutely everywhere,” he said of the shoppers and workers.

“We're grateful” no one else was shot, he said.

As bystanders and emergency responders helped the guard, the robbers drove the Suzuki to a nearby business strip, parked it in the back and drove away in a second vehicle, Basurto said.

Many witnesses described the green and silver SUV to authorities in the immediate aftermath, but two keen-eyed drivers led police to issue an emergency bulletin for the region's law enforcement to look for a blue Chevrolet Suburban - later found to be registered to one of the suspects, although Basurto didn't specify which one.

A 911 caller reported seeing a Chevrolet driving wildly down southbound Old Redwood Highway at about 2 p.m., speeding and crossing double yellow lines into oncoming traffic.

A second caller, a Windsor resident, also reported the same crazy driving behavior of a man behind the wheel of a Chevy near Esposti Park.

The bulletin led a Calistoga police officer to head to Petrified Forest Road, which winds through the mountains between north Santa Rosa and the Napa Valley.

“A very astute Calistoga police officer put himself at the perfect spot and lucked out,” Basurto said.

The Calistoga cop saw the vehicle parked nearby on Mitzi Drive. But as he pulled up behind it, Gutsu got out of the vehicle and started shooting, said Behlmer, the Napa County sheriff's captain. Gutsu fired at least two shots before the officer rammed him with the patrol car, ending the gunfire, Behlmer said.

Morales fled on foot and ran toward the Napa River, launching a huge manhunt throughout Calistoga, where residents were ordered to stay inside as an armed and dangerous man was in the area.

As many as 200 law enforcement officers flooded the area, some riding into the quaint tourist town in camouflage, hanging off the sides of armored SWAT trucks.

The dragnet ended about four hours later when a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy standing guard heard movement in a dense thicket in a culvert near a creek bed behind a Calistoga mobile home park.

The deputy thought he saw a person hiding in the brush, and ordered him to come out, Basurto said.

Morales, unarmed, surrendered.

The two were handed over to Sonoma County sheriff's detectives who interviewed the men in Santa Rosa during the night.

They were booked into the jail just before 6 a.m. and were being held without bail.

Gutsu and Morales were scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Sonoma County Superior Court.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem. You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.