Ex-49ers defensive back arrested in Mendocino County following failed robbery

The alleged crime happened on May 10.

A former San Francisco 49ers defensive back has been arrested in Mendocino County for what authorities said was his role in an attempted robbery that included a shooting.

In a statement, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said Gregory Mark Cox, 59, of Vallejo was arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree robbery and conspiracy. Cox played 39 games in three seasons for the 49ers in 1988 and 1990-91. He also played at San Jose State.

Authorities also arrested a 42-year-old Ukiah woman on suspicion of attempted murder, attempted second-degree robbery, committing a felony with a gun and conspiracy, the sheriff’s office said.

Both were in custody at the Mendocino County Jail on Thursday, authorities said

It all stemmed from an encounter on May 10 about 11 p.m. when Mendocino County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a report of a man having been shot in the hand at a location in the 51400 block of N. Highway 101 in Leggett.

According to the sheriff’s office, a 56-year-old Leggett man and his girlfriend arrived home to find Cox and the woman on the property. An argument ensued, and the sheriff’s office said the woman pulled out a gun and pointed it at the Leggett resident.

That man responded by trying to take the gun away from her, and the gun went off, the sheriff’s office said. The man was hit in the hand.

Cox and the woman fled the scene after the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office. Medics arriving at the scene treated the man for his injuries, and he tipped them to a pickup truck that had been near the property when he arrived home.

Deputies put out a request for law enforcement to be on the lookout for the truck, and a deputy responding to a non-related call in Willits saw it. That deputy began to follow the truck, which sped up and turned into a residential area, the sheriff’s office said.

That deputy called for help and kept his eyes on the truck after finding it in the residential area, according to the sheriff’s office, adding that the deputy observed a woman matching the suspect’s description go back-and-forth between the truck and a residence.

The woman saw more law enforcement arriving and tried to climb a fence to escape but was arrested on the other side, the sheriff’s office said. Cox tried to hide in the residence but surrendered after deputies surrounded the area, the sheriff’s office said.

Additional evidence gathered after authorities obtained a search warrant for that residence and the pickup truck suggested the woman intended to shoot the Leggett resident, according to the sheriff’s office.