Man Robbed By Suspect He Met On Caltrain: Palo Alto PD

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto police arrested a man Monday who investigators allege robbed and threatened a man he met while riding the Caltrain.

A man in his 30s called 911 shortly after 9 p.m. Monday to report a robbery at Alma Street and Lytton Avenue. The man told dispatchers he encountered a man on the Caltrain heading north from San Jose before he got off the train in Palo Alto. The man told police the suspect claimed he had a gun, shoved him, and threatened to kill him unless he handed over his backpack and a bag of clothes.

Just a few minutes later, employees at a nearby 7-Eleven called 911 to report a man creating a disturbance inside the store. Officers at the scene recognized the man as the robbery suspect and arrested him just after 9:30 p.m. Police said the man was still carrying the victim's stolen items, but did not appear to have a firearm.

Police identified the suspect as Dennis Isaac Holmes, 36, of San Jose. He was booked in the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of felony robbery and a parole violation. Police said the man was out on parole from an earlier conviction of assault with a deadly weapon.