Police are looking for two male suspects connected to a strong-arm robbery that took place on Monday afternoon in the Midtown area of Palo Alto.
On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 2:54 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of a battery that just occurred in the 700 block of Colorado Avenue. The preliminary investigation revealed that the female victim in her fifties was parked and sitting in her vehicle with the window open when a male suspect approached her and began to solicit her. The male suspect offered repair services for dents on her vehicle. She became skeptical and refused, but the suspect persisted. The victim began recording him on her mobile phone. At that time, another male suspect approached the back of the vehicle and started yelling and cursing at her. The victim exited the car and tried to record him, but the suspect grabbed the phone out of her hand. The suspect then pulled her glasses off her face and pushed her to the ground. The victim fell backwards and grabbed the suspect’s shirt which she was able to tear off his body. The suspect threw her phone across the parking lot and he and the other suspect fled.
The victim found her glasses and phone nearby. She sustained minor injuries to her hand, shoulder, and elbow, but refused medical attention at the scene.
Detectives are actively investigating this case. It does not appear to be related to any other recent strong-arm robberies. The victim described the suspect who forcibly stole her phone as a Hispanic male between the age of 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a long-sleeve purple shirt. The victim described the second suspect as a tan dark-skinned man of unknown race in his thirties. He is 6 feet tall, heavy-set and has shoulder length black hair. The suspect was wearing a black and white Ecko shirt and a gray Bass Pro Shops hat. His picture is attached to this news release.
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.
