A 41-year-old Richmond resident was arrested Friday, June 12, after Petaluma police linked him to an incident in which an ATM downtown was allegedly vandalized, causing thousands of dollars in damages, authorities said.
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Employees at the Chase Bank at 101 Western Ave. in Petaluma discovered Wednesday morning, June 10, that an exterior ATM had been heavily damaged overnight. Police said someone had removed the machine’s keypad and button assembly, cut its wiring and left the ATM inoperable.
Bank representatives estimated the damage at about $48,000 but were unable to say on Saturday when they anticipated the ATM to repaired.
An exterior ATM at Chase Bank in downtown Petaluma shows exposed wiring following an overnight vandalism incident June 10, 2026. Police said the machine sustained extensive damage and was left out of service. (Isabel Beer / The Press Democrat)
Damaged wiring is visible on an exterior ATM at the Chase Bank in downtown Petaluma after it was vandalized overnight June 10, 2026. Investigators said the keypad and button assembly were removed, leaving the machine inoperable. (Isabel Beer / The Press Democrat)
During the investigation, officers learned that a man had entered a nearby business and attempted to pawn what appeared to be electronic components from an ATM. The items included exposed wiring and the encounter was captured on surveillance video, police said.
Investigators reviewed the footage and distributed images of the suspect to patrol officers.
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On Friday, officers responding to an unrelated call at a downtown convenience store detained a man who matched the description from the surveillance images. Shortly after responding to the call at the convenience store, Petaluma police said they received additional surveillance images from Chase Bank that investigators said showed the person responsible for damaging the ATM.
Police determined that the man shown in the bank’s surveillance footage was the same person whom officers had detained earlier at the convenience store and arrested him.
The Richmond resident was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and booked into the Sonoma County jail, according to police. The Press Democrat generally does not identify people arrested or accused of nonviolent crimes.
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You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at [email protected].
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