Police are investigating a robbery attempt that occurred Sunday night, where two suspects brandished a firearm at the male victim and demanded his money. The suspects fled on foot and remain at large.
On Sunday, January 6, 2019, at about 9:10 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of an armed robbery attempt that had just occurred in the 2300 block of Birch Street. Officers responded immediately but could not locate the suspects.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his thirties, was walking to his parked vehicle in the 2300 block of Birch Street. He noticed two men sitting on a bench nearby his vehicle, watching him. As he began to open the door to his car, the two suspects approached him. One shoved the victim and spoke to him in Spanish, telling him to give him his money or they would kill him. That primary suspect pointed a small black handgun at the victim. The victim, who understands Spanish, swung his arm back towards the suspects and ran towards a business that he believed had surveillance cameras out front. The two suspects fled on foot eastbound down New Mayfield Lane and disappeared.
The victim described both suspects as Hispanic males, about 35 years of age, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with medium builds. They were both wearing black ski masks, gloves, and all black clothing. No surveillance images are available for release.
Detectives are actively investigating this incident. There is no suspected connection between this case and any others in Palo Alto or surrounding communities at this point.
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.
