CHP: Petaluma man with sham gun arrested in smash and grab

A Petaluma man was arrested early Wednesday after allegedly breaking into a truck at a park and ride and brandishing a gear shift handle made to look like a pistol grip when the vehicle’s owner confronted him, according to the California Highway Patrol.

An unidentified victim contacted the CHP around 2:05 a.m. after returning to his truck at the parking lot on Lakeville Highway at Highway 101 to find that a man had broken the window and was stealing items, Officer Jonathan Sloat said in a press release.

When the victim approached the man, he held an object in his hands and “took a shooting stance,” Sloat said. The victim backed away and the suspect left in a Dodge Magnum.

The CHP alerted Petaluma police about the incident, and shortly after, officers located a man matching the suspect’s description at Garfield Drive and Caulfield Lane, Sloat said.

The suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Casey Brown, was found to be in possession of the stolen property as well as a gear shift that had been tailored to look like a gun grip.

Brown, who has an “extensive criminal history” was booked into Sonoma County Jail on charges including burglary, felony vandalism, violating probation, brandishing a replica firearm and possessing stolen property, Sloat said.