Petaluma, CA– On Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 4:46 pm, the Petaluma Police Department received a call regarding an armed robbery at Gold Rush Jewelers at 385 North McDowell Blvd. Officers responded and learned six suspects entered the business armed with hammers, pepper spray, and a firearm.
They began breaking the glass of the display cases and removing jewelry, while one suspect held employees up at gunpoint. An uninvolved bystander observed the suspects entering the store and drove the suspect’s unattended vehicle into the front of the store. The crash prompted the suspects to flee. Once outside the store one suspect pepper sprayed the bystander as he attempted to get away from the vehicle. Four suspects then entered the vehicle and drove out of the shopping center while two others ran from the area. The suspect vehicle which was later determined to be stolen from Brentwood was found abandoned in an adjacent neighborhood.
A community member on Coronado Drive flagged down an officer and told him they observed a subject jumping a fence into a nearby backyard. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department Helicopter, Henry One, arrived in the area and directed officers to the suspect who was taken into custody without incident. Henry One located a second suspect in a backyard, who was also taken into custody. Officers along with Henry One, and members of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department K9 unit conducted an approximately two-hour search of the neighborhood and could not locate any additional suspects. As of this writing, there are four outstanding suspects, but they are not believed to be still in the area. The firearm was not located.
The arrested suspects, both of whom are eighteen years old, are William Butler Clarence of Pittsburg and Moshae Koron Howell of Antioch. They were booked at the Sonoma County jail on charges of 211 PC; Robbery, 459 PC; Burglary, 242 PC; Battery on a Person, 245(A)(2) PC; Assault with a Firearm, 417(A)(2)(B) PC; Exhibiting a Firearm in a Threatening Manner, and 182(A)(1) PC; Conspiracy.
The store employees were understandably frightened but not physically harmed, and the bystander was treated and released for minor injuries.
The Petaluma Police Department would like to thank the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the vigilant community members for their assistance in apprehending the suspects.
If you have any information regarding this incident or information on these criminals, please contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance at jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org or 212-687-0328.
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