A 19-year-old Santa Rosa man is behind bars on gang and firearm charges after police say a street confrontation on Cedarwood Drive escalated into gunfire this week, leaving one man grazed by a bullet and another beaten and kicked in the head. Several other suspects involved in the attack remain unidentified and at large, according to investigators.
The Santa Rosa Police Department Communications Center received reports of possible gunfire in the 1200 block of Cedarwood Drive on Tuesday, with callers describing a vehicle speeding and peeling out followed by sounds consistent with gunshots, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department. Officers determined that a shooting had occurred following a physical altercation involving multiple people at the scene. Investigators say two victims were confronted by a group of three or four suspects who challenged them to a fight and used gang-related language before at least one shot was fired.
One victim suffered a grazing gunshot wound to his arm, while the other suffered head injuries after being hit and kicked, police said. Both were treated and released at the scene by paramedics. Officers and detectives later recovered a spent shell casing and a vehicle that had been struck by gunfire, though the firearm used in the shooting has not been recovered.
Suspect Detained Running From the Scene
An officer detained Francisco Jesus Suazo after observing him running from the shooting area and noticing what appeared to be blood on his shirt sleeve, according to police. Suazo, a 19-year-old Santa Rosa resident, was identified through the police investigation as one of the assailants, and detectives are still working to determine his exact role in the assault.
Suazo was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on three charges: assault with a firearm under Penal Code 245(b), being a criminal street gang participant under 186.22(a), and committing a felony for the benefit of a criminal street gang under 186.22(b)(1). The case was handed over to the department's Gang Crimes Team and Violent Crimes Investigations Team, which are continuing to work to identify the outstanding suspects. Police say those additional suspects have not yet been identified and that no photographs or other identifying information are currently available. Investigators believe the remaining suspects left the area in an unknown vehicle before officers arrived.
Search Warrant and Evidence Collection
Detectives served a search warrant Wednesday at Suazo's residence in the 1200 block of Cedarwood Drive and seized additional evidence related to the incident, police said. As part of the ongoing investigation, detectives have also asked Cedarwood Drive residents and business owners to review any available surveillance footage from roughly 10 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, saying that video of vehicles or individuals in the area could provide critical investigative leads.
Anyone with information, however minor, is urged to contact the Santa Rosa Police Department's Violent Crimes Team tip line at 707-543-3590 or submit an anonymous tip online at www.srcity.org/crimetips. The case is listed under Santa Rosa Police Department case number 26-12276, and the investigation remains ongoing. The Business Alliance of Sonoma County's Community Engagement and Safety Rewards Fund is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the additional suspects.
Fulton Road Stabbing Investigation
An 18-year-old man was stabbed during a fight near Fulton Road and Casey Drive, an incident that may have been gang-related, according to The Press Democrat. The victim's injuries were serious but not life-threatening, and as of Tuesday no arrests had been made in the case. Investigators sought witnesses and video recorded between 1 and 3 a.m. and offered a separate reward of up to $2,500 for information.
John Cregan said Santa Rosa has experienced two serious incidents believed to be gang-related within just a few days of each other. He said the incidents appear isolated but that their close timing is deeply concerning and highlights the threat gang violence poses to public safety. Cregan added that specialized investigative resources, training, and expertise are critical to identifying offenders, preventing retaliation, and holding those responsible accountable.
A Gang Unit Rebuilt After Years of Staffing Cuts
The Santa Rosa Police Department's Gang Crimes Team was reinstated in December 2023 after a multi-year gap. In 2019, the department had reassigned detectives from its original Gang Crimes Team to patrol positions because of department-wide staffing issues, according to the City of Santa Rosa. A new team of four detectives and one sergeant began investigating gang-related offenses again in the first week of December 2023.
The city has said that gang activity carried real weight in Santa Rosa's violent crime numbers even before the team's reinstatement: five of the city's 10 homicides in 2023 had a gang connection. That same year, SRPD officers seized 255 illegally possessed firearms, and 21 juveniles were arrested for firearm-related offenses, compared with just five such arrests in 2022, the city's report states.
The department partners with the City of Santa Rosa's Violence Prevention Partnership and other community organizations as part of its broader approach to the problem. The city describes the Gang Crimes Team as a bridge to community resources and part of its prevention efforts. The Gang Crimes Investigation Team's stated priorities are prevention, intervention, education, and enforcement, according to the department.
Earlier Violence
Santa Rosa police arrested three men in September in connection with an Aug. 3 shooting believed to be associated with rival street gangs, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The shooting happened around 12:49 a.m. in the 500 block of Barham Avenue near Highway 101 and left one person wounded in the arm; police said the victim and suspects were believed to have associations with rival street gangs, and as of early September the investigation remained active with no additional suspects identified.
In a separate case, one person was killed and two others were seriously injured in a Santa Rosa street dispute that police said also involved a shooting, though it was unclear at the time whether anyone had actually been shot, according to CBS News San Francisco.
