Sacramento gas station stabbing suspect arrested after crash and standoff, officials say

A man taken into custody after a chase and standoff early Thursday is suspected of attacking his girlfriend and then stabbing a stranger at a Sacramento gas station hours earlier, officials said. Robert Zimbelman, 34, was arrested shortly after 4 a.m., the sheriff's office said. After a chase that began on Interstate 80 in Solano County, the suspect exited Highway 50 at Jefferson Boulevard in West Sacramento while being pursued by officers and crashed into trees, the California Highway Patrol said. He then fled on foot, crossed the highway and was in an hour-long standoff with officers before being taken into custody. Sergeant Amar Gandhi of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said Zimbelman is wanted in connection with two attacks that preceded the crash. The first occurred around 11 p.m. Wednesday, when the suspect choked his girlfriend and then left the scene in his car, Gandhi said. The woman was treated at the hospital for her injuries. After midnight, officers responded to a 911 call about a stabbing at the 76 gas station at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue in the Arden Arcade area. Gandhi said Zimbelman plowed into the “random citizen's” vehicle in the parking lot and then stabbed him several times before fleeing. The victim was hospitalized with serious injuries after being stabbed in the face and upper body, the sheriff's office said. He is expected to survive. The man and his attacker did not know each other, and “no words were exchanged,” Gandhi said. After officers connected the attacks, they shared information about the suspect with the CHP, Gandhi said. At around 3:50 a.m., Fairfield police began a chase with the suspect, the police department said. The police department took over the chase in Vacaville, which ended with the crash, a standoff and an arrest in West Sacramento. The police department said the chase reached speeds of 120 mph. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office is handling his arrest, and the CHP is investigating the accident. “Just stay alert,” Gandhi said when asked what the public can do to avoid random attacks like the one at the gas station. “Stay alert. Know where you are. Look around.” This story is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 for updates. For more coverage on California's most important stories, click here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter Editor's note: (August 15, 2024): An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information from the CHP that the suspect had exited Richards Boulevard. The exit was Jefferson Boulevard.