Suspect in Novato Robbery Arrested in Sacramento Area

A man considered armed and dangerous following a Novato robbery on Aug. 8 was arrested in Sacramento County on Monday and brought down to the Marin County Jail on Wednesday, law enforcement sources said.

John Arce, 21, of Petaluma was arrested at 10 a.m. Monday by California Highway Patrol officers during a traffic stop, according to the .

issued a photo of a robbery suspect believed to be connected to an in which two people were held at gunpoint as a large sum of money was stolen, police said. Sgt. Mike Howard said Arce was aware of the warrant for his arrest and refusied to surrender to police.

Investigators focused on locations in Novato and Petaluma found information about Arce as they looked into the crime, which they said might have been orchestrated by another man posing as a victim. That man, Raul Garcia, 19, of Novato was arrested Aug. 12 near the Shell gas station on Redwood Boulevard and held on a felony count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, Howard said.

The robbery took place at 3 p.m. Aug. 8 on Oak Crest Court, just off Redwood Boulevard in a condominium subdivision south of Scottsdale Pond. Two people allegedly were held at gunpoint by two suspects who escaped with money and other personal items, Howard said. The dollar amount was in the five-figure range, he said. Nobody was hurt, according to the police report.

No details were available as to the identity of the two others involved in the incident, but police said the other gunman is believed to be a white man in his 20s, 6 foot to 6-foot-3 and 160 to 180 pounds.

Anyone with information about the robbery and the suspects is urged to contact Novato police at 897-4361.

Arce is being held on $100,000 bail at Marin County Jail has he faces one felony charge of robbery.