Police are searching for a suspect who shoved a woman to the ground in a park in an attempt to rob her. The suspect fled on foot and his whereabouts are unknown.
On Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 8:11 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting an assault that had occurred about 15 minutes earlier in Eleanor Pardee Park at 851 Center Drive. The victim, a woman in her twenties, reported that she had been walking on a park path near Center Drive when she was shoved from the side by an unknown male suspect. She fell to the ground, and the suspect leaned over her and grabbed at her pants pockets. She swung her arms at the suspect and rolled away from him, and he ran off on foot towards Center Drive. The suspect never said anything to her and did not take anything from her. The victim sustained a minor injury to her ankle, but declined medical attention. She told police she thought the suspect intended to rob her.
The victim described the suspect as a light-skinned male about 40 years old. He was about six feet tall and had a muscular build. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, pants, and dark shoes. No sketch of the suspect is anticipated.
Detectives are actively investigating this case. At this point, there does not seem to be a connection between this incident and any other recent Palo Alto robberies.
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.
