Suspect in Cow Hollow attempted kidnapping pleads not guilty

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - A 46-year-old Cotati man accused of trying to kidnap a San Francisco woman by throwing a bag over her head in the city's Cow Hollow neighborhood entered a not guilty plea today.

Darrin Bravo appeared intense as he went before Judge Christopher Hite this afternoon; no cameras were allowed in the courtroom.

The father of two faces one felony attempted kidnapping charge in San Francisco, but KTVU has learned that Bravo faces five felonies in Sonoma County.

"He's taking it serious, he's denying the allegations," said Stephen Olmo, Bravo's court-appointed attorney. "I'm actually going to go see him right now we're going to talk about the cases but he's adamant that he isn't guilty of these charges."

"It's very concerning and alarming any time there's an attempted kidnapping we've had two in recent times, and in both cases they were able to get away," said Alex Bastian, a spokesperson for the SF District Attorney's Office.

The victim in this case is a 31-year-old woman who was walking home from work Saturday night around nine o'clock on the 2800 block of Steiner Street. Witnesses say she was attacked by a man. A couple sitting in a nearby car honked on their horn to attract the attention of neighbors who came running. They say the suspect was scared off.

Through video surveillance and eyewitness accounts, police honed in on Bravo and were able to track his truck in Cotati. Officers asked for CHP for assistance. SFPD said Bravo led highway patrol officers on a high speed chase, which ended in a crash in Petaluma. Authorities say Bravo hit another vehicle during the chase, injuring an innocent party.

"I know that he has a family, he does ad agency work, he does some sales work," said Olmo.

Facebook posts show a dark side to Bravo who wrote several profanity-laced anti-women rants. One post dated November 27, 2016 reads, "Sonoma County prostitutes are all married with their husbands at work."

Another post, dated December 3, 2016 reads, "Women, do not post pictures of yourself half naked unless you are looking for a great reaming."

Another angry rambling post shows pumpkins with about a dozen knives.

Santa Rosa Police say on April 2nd, during a child custody exchange, Bravo tried to run over his ex-wife's fiancee, who was standing next to his own son.

"Allegedly Mr. Bravo accelerated his vehicle towards Mr. Long and his son which they both had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit," said Sgt Josh Ludtke, with Santa Rosa PD. After that incident, Bravo's ex-wife filed a restraining order. Police say Bravo went into hiding.

"At that time we made put out a stop and hold for his arrest, contacted all the allied agencies and put out an all points bulletin statewide," said Sgt Ludtke.

Authorities did not make contact with Bravo until three weeks later when he was arrested for attempted kidnapping.

The Sonoma County District Attorney says Bravo will later face the assault and child endangerment charges.

His next San Francisco court appearance is set for May 18th.