Palo Alto Police Seeks Help Finding 2 Men Who Tussled With Woman

PALO ALTO, CA — Police officers are looking for two male suspects connected to a strong-arm robbery that occurred Monday afternoon in the midtown area of Palo Alto.

The dispatch center received a 2:54 p.m. call of a battery in the 700 block of Colorado Avenue in which a female victim in her 50s was approached while sitting in her vehicle with the window open by a man who solicited her. The male suspect offered repair services for dents on her vehicle.

The woman told police she became skeptical and refused, but the suspect persisted. The victim began recording him on her mobile phone. The preliminary investigation revealed 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, which 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 ages of 30 to 35 years old, standing 5-feet, 9-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds and wearing a long-sleeve purple shirt.

She described the second suspect as a tan dark-skinned man of unknown race in his 30s. 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.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.