The owner of Decibel Gardens, which grows and packages marijuana in Santa Cruz, was arrested by police after attacking multiple masked people who are still on the loose. Derek Hubbard was arrested on four counts of attempted murder Monday after police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses. His business, operating on Encinal Street behind locked gates, was reportedly robbed by approximately eight masked thieves early Monday morning, according to Santa Cruz Police. The alarm was tripped at about 4:30 a.m. Monday, and Hubbard arrived on the scene before police. With a handgun, Hubbard allegedly fired multiple rounds at suspects. After reviewing surveillance video, police determined Hubbard endangered four of the robbers, hence the four counts of attempted murder. “Our investigation leads us to believe the owner shot first,” Bush said. Hubbard then chased the thieves and rammed his car into the suspects’ as they were trying to escape the scene and fired more rounds. That’s when the suspects fired back at least once. Bush says the owner fired about 8-10 times in total. One of the get away cars, a white sedan with a rear-end damage, was found abandoned off of Highway 17 northbound near the exit for Pasatiempo. Police say it was stolen from the San Francisco Bay Area. According to Bush, nothing was stolen from the business. “The owner of the business used a lethal and deadly amount of force for what was essentially a property crime. And not only was it a property crime, but these subjects were exiting his business and did not pose a threat of violence or harm to anybody,” Bush said. “The attempted murder charges come from the discharge of the firearm,” he said. This is not the first time Hubbard’s business has been robbed. In March, a cannabis business on Fair Avenue, only a few miles away was robbed by multiple masked thieves, and then three days later, Decibel Gardens was robbed. Palmer says Hubbard hired a private investigator who uncovered the identities of least two suspects that were tied to other cannabis robberies in Monterey County. “He hired a private investigator to stop these guys from victimizing him and police told him not to do that.” a friend and business partner, Grant Palmer, said. He co-owns CannaCruz down the street. Related | 6 arrested for burglary of Salinas cannabis dispensary Saturday morningPolice suspect the two robberies in March are connected, but are unsure if this latest incident is related.Palmer believes all these robberies are connected and says he’s fed up with Santa Cruz Police. “We have all this security and they keep wanting to blame us,” Palmer said. “What can a security guard do against armed robbers that Derrek didn’t do?”He says his business was similarly robbed earlier this year, and that he captured over ten masked thieves on his security camera. “I would like to know what Chief Escalante’s policy is on armed robberies because it seems to be there isn’t one,” he said. “When they robbed us they didn’t even collect evidence. We offered it to them and they were like ‘Yeah, there’s nothing that we can do.'” No suspects in any of these robberies have been arrested or identified.
The owner of Decibel Gardens, which grows and packages marijuana in Santa Cruz, was arrested by police after attacking multiple masked people who are still on the loose.
Derek Hubbard was arrested on four counts of attempted murder Monday after police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses.
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His business, operating on Encinal Street behind locked gates, was reportedly robbed by approximately eight masked thieves early Monday morning, according to Santa Cruz Police.
The alarm was tripped at about 4:30 a.m. Monday, and Hubbard arrived on the scene before police. With a handgun, Hubbard allegedly fired multiple rounds at suspects.
After reviewing surveillance video, police determined Hubbard endangered four of the robbers, hence the four counts of attempted murder.
“Our investigation leads us to believe the owner shot first,” Bush said.
Hubbard then chased the thieves and rammed his car into the suspects’ as they were trying to escape the scene and fired more rounds. That’s when the suspects fired back at least once.
Bush says the owner fired about 8-10 times in total.
One of the get away cars, a white sedan with a rear-end damage, was found abandoned off of Highway 17 northbound near the exit for Pasatiempo. Police say it was stolen from the San Francisco Bay Area.
According to Bush, nothing was stolen from the business.
“The owner of the business used a lethal and deadly amount of force for what was essentially a property crime. And not only was it a property crime, but these subjects were exiting his business and did not pose a threat of violence or harm to anybody,” Bush said.
“The attempted murder charges come from the discharge of the firearm,” he said.
This is not the first time Hubbard’s business has been robbed.
In March, a cannabis business on Fair Avenue, only a few miles away was robbed by multiple masked thieves, and then three days later, Decibel Gardens was robbed.
Palmer says Hubbard hired a private investigator who uncovered the identities of least two suspects that were tied to other cannabis robberies in Monterey County.
“He [Hubbard] hired a private investigator to stop these guys from victimizing him and police told him not to do that.” a friend and business partner, Grant Palmer, said. He co-owns CannaCruz down the street.
Related | 6 arrested for burglary of Salinas cannabis dispensary Saturday morning
Police suspect the two robberies in March are connected, but are unsure if this latest incident is related.
Palmer believes all these robberies are connected and says he’s fed up with Santa Cruz Police.
“We have all this security and they keep wanting to blame us,” Palmer said. “What can a security guard do against armed robbers that Derrek didn’t do?”
He says his business was similarly robbed earlier this year, and that he captured over ten masked thieves on his security camera.
“I would like to know what Chief Escalante’s policy is on armed robberies because it seems to be there isn’t one,” he said.
“When they [Santa Cruz Police] robbed us they didn’t even collect evidence. We offered it to them and they were like ‘Yeah, there’s nothing that we can do.'”
No suspects in any of these robberies have been arrested or identified.
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