Mail Carrier Robbery Suspects Arrested After Chase: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — Investigators in Palo Alto have arrested two suspects accused of forcefully stealing postal keys from mail carriers over the weekend, and detectives are working to determine if they were involved in similar robberies.

Police allege a 19-year-old and 17-year-old driving a stolen car with stolen plates robbed mail carriers in Belmont and Palo Alto, before leading officers on a high-speed chase and crashing into a tree.

Investigators in Palo Alto said dispatchers shared an alert after a strong-arm robbery of a mail carrier on Old County Road in Belmont around 1:30 p.m. Police said a woman in her 40s suffered minor injuries, and detectives were looking for two suspects driving an Infiniti G37 with license plates registered to a Ford.

Less than an hour later, a 911 caller reported two men loitering on Ilima Court in Palo Alto. The witness said the suspects noticed them and quickly returned to an Infiniti sedan parked on Laguna Drive. Police said the caller's description of the pair closely matched the alert from Belmont.

Within a few minutes, another 911 caller said a mail carrier had just been robbed at gunpoint on Ilima Court. The victim, a man in his 60s, said two men demanded his postal keys while one pointed a gun at his head.

Officers rushed to the scene and spotted the car driving north on El Camino Real. When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver sped away and a brief chase ensued before the driver lost control and crashed into a tree on Hansen Way, police said.

According to investigators, both suspects were caught after a short foot chase.

Police said the stolen car was seriously damaged in the crash and had to be towed from the scene. Officers learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Alameda on May 1, and the license plates were reported stolen in Hayward earlier in the day.

Inside the car, police said they found two sets of stolen postal keys and two "realistic-looking replica handguns."

Investigators identified the first suspect as Trevionne Levar Williams, 19, of Sacramento. According to police, Williams was out on bail on multiple gun-related violations in Sacramento County. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of various felonies, including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.

Police said the 17-year-old suspect was driving the stolen car at the time of the crash, and he was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of multiple felonies. Detectives are also investigating whether the pair was linked to other unsolved mail carrier robberies.

"Palo Alto detectives are working in close collaboration with detectives from the Belmont Police Department, as well as investigators from the United States Postal Inspection Service," the department said Tuesday. "Palo Alto detectives are also actively investigating to see if these suspects may also be responsible for a strong-arm robbery of a mail carrier that occurred in Palo Alto in December 2023."

Unauthorized possession of a postal key is a federal crime, and convictions can carry prison sentences of up to 10 years. The USPIS offers rewards of up to $150,000 for information leading to convictions, and tipsters can contact 877-876-2455.