On Friday, February 12, 2021 at about 8:30 pm, San Rafael Police Officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Point San Pedro Road, San Rafael on the report of a suspicious circumstance. A witness had called SRPD to report that they saw an older adult male yelling at a younger juvenile male, grabbing him aggressively, before both subjects got into the adult male’s dark colored sedan and left the area.

San Rafael units searched the area for the vehicle when they located a person who flagged an officer down. They told the officer that her son had been in a group that had been ringing doorbells of houses and running away. She said that one of her son’s friends had been chased by a man who lived in the area (and provided an address). At the same time, SRPD dispatch received a call from the father of the juvenile male stating that his son, who had since returned home, had been victimized by the adult male.

An SRPD Officer interviewed the juvenile (11 years old), who stated that he and his friends were ringing people’s doorbells in the area and running away before the resident of the location could answer the door. At one of the houses, an older male existed the house and chased the group of boys. The victim said that the suspect got into a car and chased them in the vehicle. At one point, the suspect blocked the victim’s path with his vehicle, so he stopped running. The suspect exited his vehicle, began yelling at the victim, grabbed him by the neck, and forced him to the ground. The victim said when he got back onto his feet, he was pushed into the suspect’s vehicle. The victim that the suspect told him, he was going to take him to his parent’s house and that if he ever did that again (rang the doorbell and leave), he would “put a bullet in his head.” After the threat, the suspect dropped the juvenile off in the area of Point San Pedro Road and Loch Lomond Drive in San Rafael. After he was dropped off, he ran to his parent’s location where he reported what happened. The juvenile had redness around his neck but did not require medical attention.

At about 10:10 pm, SRPD Officers went to the suspect’s address. At this point in the investigation, they had identified him as Dean Taylor. Taylor answered his door and immediately asked the officers if they were there because of the kids. Taylor told officers that the kids had rang his doorbell at least 4 times prior and he was fed up. He said that he waited for the next time and when it happened he went out and chased the group of kids. Taylor told officers that when he caught up to one of the kids, he denied being the one who rang his doorbell. He said that he told the juvenile that he was going to take him home to his parents’ house. Taylor denied grabbing the juvenile around the neck and denied making a threat about putting a bullet in his head.

Based on the totality of the investigation, SRPD Officers placed Taylor under arrest. He was booked at the Marin County Jail for Kidnapping and Death Threats.

Dean Taylor is a 63-year-old resident of San Rafael.