A Sonoma man faces multiple charges after allegedly using a BB gun to rob a rideshare driver last Saturday. The incident occurred near Riverside Drive and Kelsey Court in El Verano, as reported by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
At about 9:45 p.m., the deputies responded to a 911 call from the victim, a rideshare driver who had just been robbed at gunpoint. Upon dropping off a fare, the customer, later identified as 21-year-old Christian Mendez Torres, purportedly entered a house only to emerge with what seemed to be a handgun. Mendez Torres is then accused of taking the driver's wallet along with other personal possessions before fleeing the scene.
A sheriff's deputy arrived within a minute of the dispatch and discovered the victim's car. In the vicinity, Mendez Torres was found hiding in bushes but took off running when approached. He was quickly apprehended and detained. Close to where Torres hid, deputies found a dropped object that appeared to be a pistol, which further investigation revealed to be a BB gun. The suspect had the victim’s wallet and other items.
Mendez Torres was arrested and booked into the county jail on various charges, including felony robbery, felony credit card theft, felony ID theft, and a misdemeanor for brandishing a replica gun. He remains in custody on $100,000 bail as the judicial process continues.
