Full Notification

On 12/28/18, the Novato Police Department conducted an OTS DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Rowland Blvd between Redwood Blvd and Novato Blvd.  At approximately 7:45pm, a motorcycle officer attempted to stop a vehicle trying to circumvent the checkpoint.  The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed and, in the interest of public safety, the officer did not pursue.  The vehicle continued on Redwood Blvd.  towards downtown Novato where it ran a red light and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Redwood Blvd and De Long Ave.
  
A patrol officer in the area witnessed the collision and observed the four occupants flee the vehicle.  A short foot pursuit ensued and the driver Dixon Hernandez-Gonza, was arrested without incident near Mc Donald’s on Redwood Blvd.  Several witnesses reported one of the passengers who fled from the vehicle was armed with a handgun as a he ran away.  With the assistance of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Marin County Major Crimes Task Force, and California Highway Patrol, a perimeter was established in the area but the suspects were not initially located. 
 
While officers were looking for the outstanding subjects, a concerned citizen who was aware of the search from a Nixle alert sent by the Novato Police Department called and reported three subjects seen walking on Novato Blvd near 7^th Street who matched the description of the wanted persons who fled the vehicle.  Officers contacted the three near Diablo Ave.  One of the subjects, Jefferson Lopez, attempted to run away and while doing so discarded what was later determined to be a loaded handgun.  All three were positively identified as the subjects who fled the collision scene.  In addition, all four subjects have ties to a criminal street gang and were arrested and booked into MCJ.  Hernandez-Gonza was also wanted by the San Rafael Police Department for threatening an individual with a handgun. 

The Novato Police Department would like to thank all of the concerned citizens that assisted with the successful apprehension of these four suspects.  Without our partnership with the community, we cannot keep the community safe.  We encourage community members to subscribe to Nixle and Nextdoor to be better connected with events taking place in the community, especially during emergencies.  To sign up for NPD Nixle alerts, text your ZIP code to 888777 to opt in for notifications.  The case would not have been successful without the assistance from the community and our law enforcement partners at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the Marin Count Major Crimes Task Force and their firearm detection K-9, and the California Highway Patrol.

SUSPECTS: Jefferson Lopez, 19 year old, Corte Madera Resident; Carlos Gonzalez, 18 year old, Mill Valley Resident;  Luis Garcia-Lopez, 18 year old, San Rafael Resident; Dixon Hernandez-Gonza; 21 year old, San Rafael Resident.