Georgia Man Arrested in Ukiah on Allegations of Armed Robbery & Transportation of Cannabis for Sale
Photo courtesy of MCSO
UKIAH, CA — “On 11/04/2026 at approximately 03:11 P.M., the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a call from a male subject reporting he was the victim of an armed robbery that just occurred near Oak Knoll Road and South State Street in Ukiah, CA.
The reporting party and victim, later identified as a 23-year-old male from Ukiah, reported the suspect in the robbery shot at the victim and took his cell phone, wallet, and keys. The suspect, described by the victim as a black male with a beard, reportedly left the location of the robbery in a rental vehicle with Idaho license plates.
Sheriff’s Deputies from throughout Mendocino County and other law enforcement personnel responded to the area to investigate.
The victim reportedly used a relative’s phone to track his stolen cell phone and was traveling on Highway 101 in his relative’s vehicle attempting to locate the suspect with his stolen phone.
Law enforcement personnel used the limited suspect vehicle information to check Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) programs to attempt and track the suspect vehicle. Through using the ALPR systems, law enforcement identified a white van with Idaho plates as the possible suspect vehicle.
Law Enforcement personnel who responded to the area of Oak Knoll Road and South State Street in Ukiah were unable to locate any involved parties or evidence related to the reported armed robbery. Additional law enforcement personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, CalFire Prevention Law Enforcement, and California Highway Patrol all responded to check the area of Hopland, CA for the white van with Idaho plates based on the ALPR activity.
A CDFW Warden observed a white van with Idaho plates near the gas pumps at Hopland Food and Gas (13600 Mountain House Road in Hopland) and saw numerous people involved in a physical altercation at the store. One of the subjects involved in the fight was a black male wearing a gray track suit who fled the area northbound after the altercation. It was later determined the victim of the robbery located the suspect at the gas station and was involved in the physical altercation with the suspect.
Additional law enforcement personnel converged on the gas station in Hopland, and contacted the original reporting party and victim, a 23-year-old male from Ukiah, and his relative who drove the victim to Hopland while tracking his stolen cell phone.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, including the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team (COMMET), responded to take over this investigation. Interviews were conducted with the victim, his relative, and other independent witnesses at the gas station. It was determined the suspect fled the area on foot northbound along Highway 101 and was last seen traveling eastbound on Highway 175 from downtown Hopland.
On 11/04/2026 at approximately 04:37 P.M., a shelter-in-place Nixle was distributed to the surrounding area with a description of the male suspect as he was considered armed and dangerous.
Law Enforcement personnel established a perimeter around the area of Highway 175 and Old Hopland, and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was requested from the Ukiah Police Department. The UAV was utilized to search the contained area for the outstanding suspect while a helicopter was responding from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
This perimeter and search area was maintained for numerous hours and searched by personnel after the UAV and helicopter were unsuccessful in locating the suspect.
As this was occurring, Investigators conducted additional interviews and gathered evidence related to the reported robbery. It was determined the robbery was a result of a marijuana sales transaction on the south side of Ukiah. During the robbery, the victim stated his cell phone, wallet, and vehicle keys were stolen by the suspect. Investigators recovered the victim’s cell phone and keys from the suspect vehicle, the white van with Idaho plates that was abandoned at the gas station. Approximately 177 pounds of processed and packaged marijuana was also located and seized from inside the van, which was further evidence of the marijuana transaction that took place immediately preceding the robbery south of Ukiah.
The suspect’s wallet and identification were also located in the abandoned white van at the gas station, which identified the suspect as Darrell Law Jr., a 36-year-old male from Hiram, Georgia.
After recovering the victim’s cell phone from the white van abandoned by the suspect, Investigators were able to obtain a cell phone number for the suspect. Investigators immediately requested an exigency ping for Law’s cell phone due to him being reportedly armed and dangerous.
On 11/04/2026 at approximately 7:35 P.M., the initial ping received for Law’s cell phone carrier determined the cell phone was located in downtown Santa Rosa, CA. Information was shared from the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center to Sonoma County Law Enforcement to attempt and apprehend Law. As additional cell phone pings were obtained for the Law’s cell phone, it was apparent he was utilizing public transit or an airport shuttle due to the tracked movement of his cell phone.
Investigators communicated with public transit companies and airport shuttles in Sonoma County to inform them Law was potentially a passenger in one of their vehicles.
Information was again shared with Sonoma County and Marin law enforcement, as Law’s phone was tracked into San Francisco, CA. It was determined Law’s likely destination was the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) based on the pings performed on his cell phone.
Investigators contacted the San Francisco Police Department Airport Bureau for the SFO Airport as other Detectives prepared an arrest warrant for Law. Law was detained by law enforcement personnel at the SFO Aiport and Investigators obtained a signed warrant for Law’s arrest. The signed warrant was forwarded to SFPD law enforcement personnel at SFO and Law was ultimately placed under arrest for the warrant issued in Mendocino County.
Law was booked into the San Mateo County jail for the charges of 211 PC – First Degree Robbery, 11359(b) HS – Possession of Cannabis for Sale, and 11360(a) HS – Transportation of Cannabis for Sale. Law is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail and is expected to be transferred to the Mendocino County Jail on Thursday 11/05/2026 for the listed charges on the arrest warrant.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the following organizations who assisted with this investigation: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Highway Patrol, CalFire Prevention, Ukiah Police Department, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Patrol and Henry 1 (helicopter) personnel, Hopland Fire Protection District personnel, Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office Investigators, Mendocino County Special Investigations Unit, and the San Francisco Police Department Airport Bureau.
Anyone with information related to this incident is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086 (option 1). Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.”
