In a string of events that rattled the quiet composure of Santa Rosa, the local police department has swiftly brought an end to a series of armed robberies targeting gas stations in the area. Between January 10 and January 15, Santa Rosa saw four such incidents, each involving an armed and masked suspect. The Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) has identified 23-year-old Damian Garza as the man behind these crimes, and they credit Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology for the breakthrough.
The SRPD detectives were able to quickly link Garza to a grey Acura sedan seen at each crime scene, thanks to ALPR cameras that captured license plates of nearby vehicles. A statement from the Santa Rosa Police noted, “Detectives located a grey Acura sedan that was in the area of each of the gas stations at times consistent with the robberies and attempted robberies.” They managed to effectively utilize this technology to slowly zero in on the suspect.
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