Man Beat Up By Palo Alto Robber: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — A San Jose resident was arrested earlier this week in Palo Alto for allegedly robbing and assaulting a man, police said.

On Monday at about 3:20 p.m., police began receiving calls about two men fighting at the CVS store on University Avenue in Palo Alto. Officers found a man with injuries to his face and learned that another man had attacked him during a robbery.

Police located the suspect on foot in the area of the Downtown Transit Center and detained him near the intersection of El Camino Real and Quarry Road.

The investigation revealed that, at about 3:15 p.m., the victim, a man in his thirties, was standing outside the CVS store located at 352 University Avenue when he was approached by a man he did not know. The man demanded the victim's money and mobile phone. When the victim refused, the suspect grabbed the victim's hat from his head and ran into the store.

The victim followed the suspect through the store to retrieve his hat. The victim caught up to the suspect as he was exiting the store's back door, and the suspect punched and kicked the victim several times in the face, according to police.

As the victim attempted to fight off the suspect, the suspect allegedly removed a knife from a sheath on the victim's belt and tried to slash the victim with it. The victim was able to back away and the suspect ran back through CVS towards University Avenue.

The victim sustained minor injuries to his face and was treated on scene by Palo Alto Fire Department personnel.

The suspect was identified as Cesar Pineda, 39, who was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

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