Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred on Saturday night in downtown Palo Alto. The suspects are at large.
On Saturday, May 5, 2018, at about 11:17 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of a robbery that occurred about 30 minutes earlier at the corner of Lytton Avenue and Kipling Street. The victim, a 17-year old male juvenile, reported that the suspects had fled the scene in a car.
The investigation revealed that the victim had been talking on his cell phone and walking eastbound on Lytton Avenue. When he reached the corner at Kipling Street, three suspects approached him and demanded his phone. When the victim refused, the primary suspect asked another to give him a gun. That suspect passed a small black semi-automatic handgun to the primary suspect, who pointed the gun at the victim and ordered him to get on the ground. The victim refused, so the primary suspect punched the victim in the head. The victim then lay down on the ground, while the suspects then went through his pockets and ultimately took his cell phone and cash. The three suspects ran to a waiting black four-door sedan, driven by a fourth person. The vehicle left the scene headed southbound on Kipling Street towards University Avenue. The victim sustained a small abrasion to his head as a result of the punch.
The victim described the suspects as three Hispanic males in their twenties. He described the primary suspect as being 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, wearing a black zippered hooded sweatshirt over a white shirt. The suspect had long hair and was wearing a red “Polo” brand cap. The victim described the second suspect (the one who handed over the weapon to the primary suspect) as being 5 feet 7 inches tall, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. He had a short “fade” haircut. The victim could not describe the third suspect any further. The victim did not see who was driving the suspect vehicle.
Detectives are actively investigating this incident. It is possible the victim may be able to work with a police artist to produce a sketch of at least the primary suspect; if this occurs, we will release the sketch as soon as it becomes available.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
