Man attempts to rob Rohnert Park car wash with potato chip bag

Rohnert Park police are searching for a man who attempted Friday night to rob a car wash with an empty potato chip bag.

The suspect approached a cashier at the KaCees World of Water on Rohnert Park Expressway just before 8 p.m., dropped the bag on the counter and demanded it be filled with money, police said. He then signaled there was a gun in the bag, but the cashier noticed there was only a piece of cardboard inside and called over another employee for help when the suspect continued to insist on the money, police said.

The suspect, described as a black man in his 30s or 40s, with a stocky build and standing 5-feet-8 inches to 5-feet-11 inches, fled after the second employee showed up. The employees didn't report the incident to police until 10 minutes later, officers said.

In addition to officers with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Sonoma County sheriff deputies and Cotati police searched the neighborhood for the suspect.

Rohnert Park police said he was last seen headed south on Redwood Drive and was wearing a black baseball hat, dark pants and a black sweatshirt over a white t-shirt. He also was unshaven and had grey facial stubble, police said.