Police arrested three male juveniles for robbing and physically assaulting a man walking in downtown Palo Alto Tuesday afternoon
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at around 12:34 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a report of a strong-arm robbery that had just occurred on Lytton Avenue near Tasso Street. The preliminary investigation revealed a male in his twenties was walking eastbound on Lytton Avenue and passed a group of male juveniles on bicycles. One of the juveniles tapped the victim on his back, while another suspect grabbed the victim’s phone out of his hand. As the suspects began to ride away, the victim tackled the suspect who stole his phone. At that point, one of the suspects punched the victim in the face and another demanded the victim’s ear bud headphones. The victim’s co-worker who was nearby, heard the commotion and came to the victim’s aid. The suspects fled on their bicycles south on Tasso Street. The victim suffered from minor pain to his face, but he declined medical attention.
Approximately 40 minutes after the robbery occurred, a police sergeant spotted three juveniles matching the description of the suspects and detained them in the 1400 block of Edgewood Drive. Through their investigation, police determined they were responsible for the robbery. Officers located the victim’s stolen phone in the backpack of one of the suspects. Police returned the phone to the victim.
Police arrested and booked the three suspects, all 15 years old, into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall for felony robbery. Two are from East Palo Alto, while the other is from Menlo Park. We are not releasing their booking photos because they are juveniles. Detectives are investigating whether these juvenile suspects are responsible for other similar crimes in the city.
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 voicemail 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.
