Petaluma Mall Mauler Sought By Police
PETALUMA (CBS SF) -- Petaluma police are looking for a man who tried to steal jewelry from a woman at the Washington Square Shopping Center on Saturday night.
The victim flagged down officers around 8 p.m. and told them she was approached by a man in the 300 block of South McDowell Boulevard who asked to use her cellphone, Petaluma police said.
The man then forcibly tried to grab the woman's necklace, police said. With the help of a good Samaritan, she was able to fight off the robber before he took the jewelry.
The suspect then ran south out of the shopping center, according to police. The victim did not suffer any injuries during the attempted robbery.
Cotati police also reported a similar incident, where the suspect approached the victim in the same way, about two hours earlier at a shopping center. The suspect's description matched the description of the Washington Square Shopping Center robber.
Petaluma police describe the suspect as a black man, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with a thin beard and no mustache. He was wearing dark clothing and his short curly hair was covered by a black baseball cap.
Anyone with information about the attempted robbery is asked to call Petaluma police at (707) 778-4372.
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