San Rafael, CA – On 02/26/2023, Joseph Aaron Stewart, a 30-year-old Novato resident, was arrested by Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA) and the San Rafael Police Department (SRPD) for robberies in San Anselmo and San Rafael.

On Sunday, at 10:52 AM, SRPD received a Be-On-the-Lookout (BOL) from CMPA about a robbery that had just occurred at a Walgreen store in San Anselmo.  The information provided was that the suspect was wearing a mask and made threats that he had an unknown weapon in his possession.  The suspect’s description was also given.

About 10 minutes later, an employee at the downtown San Rafael Walgreens store texted a fellow employee and said that the suspect was committing another robbery.  This information was immediately passed along to SRPD officers

Officers arrived at the store located on Third Street in downtown San Rafael.  An officer saw the suspect, later identified as Stewart, walking away from the store and told him to stop.  Stewart refused to cooperate with the officer’s orders and began to run away.  The officer gave chase and eventually caught up to Stewart in the 900-block of Lincoln Avenue.  When officers caught up to Stewart, he continued to resist arrest and would not follow commands to stop fighting.  After a brief struggle, Stewart was taken into custody.  Stewart and the officer were not injured during the brief struggle.

SRPD contacted CMPA and advised them of Stewart’s arrest.  Stewart was positively identified as the suspect in the San Anselmo and San Rafael robberies.

During the investigation, it was determined that Stewart had robbed the two stores to obtain undisclosed prescriptions. 

Additionally, Stewart was recognized as a reoccurring suspect in previous robberies in San Rafael over the last several years.  Stewart was released from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in January of 2022 and placed on parole for first-degree robbery.

Stewart was booked into the Marin County Jail.  SRPD has forwarded a case to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office charging felony robbery, resisting arrest, and violating CDCR parole.  CMPA also charged Stewart with felony robbery, felony burglary, making criminal threats, wearing a mask while committing a crime, and violating CDCR parole.