Teens held in violent North Bay carjacking

Three suspected teenage gang members were arrested Thursday in connection with a Santa Rosa carjacking in which the victim was dragged from his vehicle and punched and kicked repeatedly as he lay on the ground, officials said.

A fourth teenager suspected of being involved in the brutal assault Tuesday was arrested the night of the attack, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Officers were called to the 2300 block of Amethyst Way about 10:10 p.m. and found the victim, whose name was not released, bleeding from injuries to his head and face, police said. He was treated at a local hospital and has since been released.

The victim is an adult who is not affiliated with any gang, and did not know the suspects, according to Santa Rosa police Sgt. Tommy Isachsen.

Police learned that four suspects yanked the man from his car and punched and kicked him when he fell to the ground, then climbed into the vehicle and drove away, according to police.

Shortly after the carjacking was reported, officers spotted the stolen car and arrested a 16year-old boy who was driving, according to police. The boy, who has a history of gang activity, was detained at the Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of battery with serious bodily injury, being an active gang participant and assault with a deadly weapon.

“Because of the injuries he sustained from the assault, they considered the feet and kicks to be a deadly weapon,” Isachsen said.

With the help of the Sonoma County MultiAgency Gang Enforcement Team, police identified the three other suspects — a 15-year-old boy and two 16-year-old boys. They, too, were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking and being active gang participants.

The names of the suspects were not released because they are minors, police said.

The Santa Rosa Police Department Gang Crimes Team asked that witnesses of the attack call them at (707) 5433670.