Driver robbed by suspect pretending to need help outside Petaluma school

Police lights.

Police in Petaluma are searching for a suspect who flagged down a motorist Sunday night, pretending to need help, but instead robbed the driver at gunpoint and fled.

About 8:15 p.m., the incident was called in to 911 by a passerby, who said the victim was yelling for help at the entrance to Casa Grande High School, Petaluma police said.

The victim later drove to a safe location and called police himself, saying he had stopped to help after a man flagged him down at the entrance to the school. When he rolled down his passenger-side window, however, the suspect pointed a gun at him and demanded his money and phone.

The suspect then grabbed the victim's wallet and ran away, police said.

The suspect is described as a White man in his 20s with dark hair, wearing a flannel shirt. The gun was described as a black, semi-automatic handgun.\