Yesterday, the Santa Rosa streets were disturbed by police sirens and the unfortunate discovery of property damage. According to a social media post from Santa Rosa Police, at around 8:32 AM, a man was reported to have been slashing tires with a knife around A Street and 8th Street. The suspect, identified as a white male in his fifties, according to witnesses, was quickly located by Santa Rosa Police officers who arrived on the scene in under three minutes.
Following the initial call, officers were able to detain a 49-year-old Santa Rosa man, Thomas Wheat, who was found holding two box cutters at the time of his arrest. Wheat was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on felony vandalism charges, as reported by the Santa Rosa Police Department. The swath of damage he is accused of cutting across the downtown area affected at least 18 vehicles, across streets such as A Street, 7th Street, and Morgan Street.
The Santa Rosa Police Department stated, "Numerous officers responded to the area to locate additional witnesses, victim vehicles, and to canvass the area for security cameras." The depth of the vandalism appears extensive, with many affected vehicles suffering multiple punctured tires. In the aftermath, officers took care to notify victims directly or left case information cards on windshields when owners were not present.
