San Rafael, CA – The San Rafael Police Department, with the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies, arrested serial robbery suspect Corey Brian Gill, a 33-year-old San Rafael resident, when he tried to sneak through a police perimeter checkpoint near San Quentin Prison.  Gill was wanted in connection with several armed robberies, one in San Francisco, two in San Rafael, and one in Novato.  Gill was booked into the Marin County Jail for the felony robberies and additional felony charges.

SRPD began working on the robbery series on 06/13/2023, around 3:00 AM, when the suspect went to the Fuel 24:7 gas station located at the corner of Las Gallinas Avenue and Del Presidio Boulevard in Terra Linda and robbed the clerk while brandishing a handgun.  The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise.  The suspect was described as a white male adult, medium build, wearing a gray sweatshirt, black vest, light-colored pants, and black hat with a surgical mask over his face.  The suspect was seen fleeing in a dark-colored SUV.

On 06/18/23, at 1:20 AM, SRPD Officers responded to another robbery at the Chevron Gas Station on Del Presidio Boulevard in Terra Linda.  A similarly described suspect confronted the clerk with a handgun and demanded cash and gas.  During the encounter, the suspect received an undisclosed amount of cash and then forced the clerk to walk to a gas pump, where he filled his vehicle.  The suspect finished filling his gas tank and fled the scene.

Later in the day, Novato Police contacted SRPD and reported that a suspect matching the description of SRPD’s robbery cases had robbed a restaurant in Novato.  At 7:00 AM, the suspect entered the Panera Bread restaurant brandishing a handgun, ordered the employees into a back office, and demanded money.  The suspect fled the restaurant with an undisclosed amount of money.   Novato Police obtained surveillance video showing the same suspect vehicle leaving the area.

Due to the series of robberies, SRPD officers were working to locate the suspect before he could commit another crime.

This morning, just before 6:00 AM, a police sergeant observed a vehicle that appeared to match the described suspect vehicle at Fourth Street and Grand Avenue.  The vehicle committed a minor traffic offense, and the officer attempted to stop the vehicle. 

When the officer turned on his emergency lights, the vehicle sped away, and officers began pursuing it.  The pursuit continued down Francisco Boulevard East and ended in the area of Lecante Drive and Main Street near San Quentin Prison.  The suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled into the residential neighborhood.  SRPD Officers immediately established a perimeter to contain the suspect.  

Due to the public safety concerns that the suspect was known to be armed with a handgun, SRPD and MCSO notified surrounding residents by broadcasting a “shelter in place” notification via NIXLE.  

SRPD also requested the assistance of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), Novato Police (NPD), Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA), San Quentin CDCR, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to assist with the search and apprehension.  MCSO also used two UAV (drones) to assist searching the area.  SRPD and NPD’s regional Crisis Response Unit also responded to the scene with crisis negotiators and tactical team members.  

As search teams were preparing to search for the suspect in the neighborhood, a vehicle with the suspect trying to hide in the backseat approached a police perimeter checkpoint located at Main Street and the Interstate 580 on and off-ramps.  Officers noticed the female driver acting suspiciously as she stopped for the officers.  When the officers looked through the back window, they observed the suspect trying to hide under a blanket.  The officer then took him into custody without incident.  The suspect was identified as Gill.  

During the initial contact, a record check revealed that Gill also had an outstanding arrest warrant from San Francisco Police (SFPD) connected to an armed robbery that occurred on 05/14/2023.  SRPD notified SFPD, and they sent two detectives.

CDCR Officers searching the San Quentin neighborhood located Gill’s discarded clothing a block from where he fled the vehicle.  Marin County Search and Rescue was able to locate the discarded handgun, which was determined to be a replica BB gun.  The replica BB gun matched the description and appearance of the handgun used in the armed robbery series. 

Gill was booked into the Marin County Jail on three felony counts of armed robbery, two counts of kidnapping, felony evading in a vehicle, felony possession of a stolen vehicle, and misdemeanor narcotics possession.  Gill will face extradition to San Francisco on their existing armed robbery warrant.