Suspect drives into wall of Richmond hotel during bust

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The suspect in an armed residential burglary in San Rafael was apprehended at a Richmond hotel on Tuesday — but he don’t go quietly, police said.

When 33-year-old James Pizzagrani of El Cerrito was leaving his room at Marina Bay Inn & Suites near Cutting and Canal boulevards, detectives from the San Rafael Police Department, the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force, Richmond police officers were waiting.

Pizzagrani got into a white car in the parking lot, at which point officers got behind the vehicle in an attempt to apprehend him, police said.

“Seeing a police car behind him, Pizzagrani put the car in reverse, collided with a marked police unit, and attempted to flee the area,” said San Rafael police Lt. Dan Fink. “He was unable to get out of the parking lot and collided with a wall at the hotel.”

He was then taken into custody and booked at the Marin County Jail.

Pizzagrani is suspected of carrying out a burglary at a home on Blossom Drive in San Rafael on Feb. 25, and he had a female accomplice who remains on the lam, police said. The pair were seen on surveillance cameras burglarizing the home and the male suspect, believed to be Pizzagrani, was armed with what appeared to be handgun, police said.

After San Rafael Det. James Dooley identified him from the video, a wanted flyer to all Bay Area police agencies was distributed. On Tuesday, the detective learned he was possibly at the Richmond hotel.

The second subject in the video of the burglary has been identified as Morgan Baugh, 28, of San Rafael. She is wanted for armed residential burglary and considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call San Rafael Police at (415) 485-3000. Tips can also be made online at http://www.srpd.org/tips.