Petaluma police arrest man for allegedly trying to carjack vehicle before bashing it with his skateboard

Petaluma police say a Santa Rosa man demanded that a driver surrender his vehicle on Tuesday – and that when the driver didn’t comply, the would-be carjacker struck the vehicle several times with his skateboard.

The incident occurred at around 11:10 p.m. when Christopher Owen, 36, approached another man as he was pulling out of a parking spot in the 100 block of North McDowell Boulevard. According to police, “Owen, who was riding a skateboard at the time, dismounted his board, approached the driver’s side window, and told the victim to get out of his car claiming the vehicle belonged to him.”

The man behind the wheel refused, and as he drove away, “Owen used his skateboard and struck the vehicle multiple times causing visible damage,” police said.

The driver then called police, who located Owen not far from where the incident occurred. Having been positively identified by the driver, Owen was arrested on suspicion of carjacking and felony vandalism.