Novato police execute ‘high-risk’ search warrant against suspected gang member

(KRON) — Novato Police and partner agencies executed “high-risk” search warrants in the arrest of a suspect believed to be a gang member and possibly armed, stemming from an incident that occurred in April.

The victim, whose identity was not released, was attacked by four people in San Rafael. The suspects, who police said used gang terms, stole the victim’s phone. The case remained open while San Rafael police investigated.

Then in early June, the same victim left his home in Novato and was confronted by two suspects who made comments about the previous robbery in San Rafael and pointed a handgun at the victim. Novato Police Patrol officers responded and observed a suspicious vehicle leaving the area.

Officers stopped the vehicle and arrested the driver, who was identified by the victim and a witness as 20-year-old Jhonny Cifuentes-Rodas of San Rafael. According to police, Cifuentes-Rodas attacked the victim and brandished the firearm.

He was taken to the Marin County Jail that same evening, but the weapon was not found.

As the investigation continued, Novato police identified the second suspect as 21-year-old Alexander DeLeon Valenzuela of San Rafael. Due to the nature of the crimes and because the firearm was never recovered, Novato investigators requested assistance from “specialized teams that are specialized and trained to execute search warrants for high-risk cases.”

Early Tuesday morning, members of the San Rafael-Novato Crisis Response Unit and the Marin County Sheriff’s Special Response Team simultaneously executed search warrants on two homes in Marin County.

Based on the investigation and evidence found during the search, police arrested Alexander DeLeon Valenzuela and booked him into the Main County Jail on charges of stalking, witness tampering, probation violation, conspiracy, committing a crime while out on bail, and membership in a criminal street gang.