Two men were arrested Tuesday after reportedly robbing a person planning to sell them marijuana, the Willits Police Department reported.
According to the WPD, officers responded to the Edgewood Motel on South Main Street around 3:40 p.m. June 6 when it was reported that two men had stolen “a large amount of marijuana” at gunpoint and fled.
The victim reported meeting the suspects at the motel to sell them marijuana, but before the deal was finished the men took out a handgun and ordered the seller to the ground, then took the victim’s personal belongings and the marijuana. The victim’s gender was not released.
The suspects, identified as Donovan Saari, 27, of Sacramento, and Rashard H. Lafrance, 25, of Miramar, were later located by Ukiah Police Department officers who attempted to stop their vehicle on Highway 101 near Retech. The suspects failed to stop, however, and instead led officers on a pursuit into Sonoma County that reportedly reached speeds of 120 mph.
The pursuit ended after the suspects hit another vehicle near Old Redwood Highway and tried to flee on foot before being arrested with the assistance of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, the Healdsburg and Cloverdale police departments, as well as the California Highway Patrol.
While the UPD reports that no gun was found, a search of the vehicle uncovered “marijuana, ammunition and a large amount of money,” according to the WPD.
Saari was booked into Mendocino County Jail on suspicion of felony evading and resisting arrest, and Lafrance was booked on suspicion of false imprisonment and first-degree robbery.
