Palo Alto Robbery Probe Leads To 2 Arrests, Recovery Of Stolen Vehicle

PALO ALTO, CA — A Palo Alto robbery investigation led to the arrests of two suspects and the recovery of a stolen vehicle Sunday, police said.

Walter Randall Stokes, 28 of Oakland, who is on probation for a grand theft conviction, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, possession of stolen property, possession of the stolen vehicle, resisting arrest, and a parole violation the Palo Alto Police Department said.

Melvin Caldwell King, 24 of Antioch, was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property, being an accessory to a felony and an outstanding infraction warrant for fare evasion, according to police.

The victim, a woman in her 50s, suffered minor injuries to her ankle and shin but declined medical attention, police said.

The robbery occurred late Sunday morning in the 300 block of Manzanita Avenue, police said.

Officers responding to a report of the robbery at around 11:40 a.m. Sunday determined the woman was walking eastbound on the south sidewalk of the 300 block of Manzanita Avenue when a man walking in the opposite direction who she had said “hello” to approached her and ripped a necklace off her neck and shoved her to the ground, police said.

The suspect, later identified as Stokes, fled the scene after retrieving a phone the victim had thrown into a nearby yard, police said.

The probe led Palo Alto authorities to the 00 block of Redwood Avenue in Redwood City, where an officer around 1:15 p.m. located a man who matched Stokes’ in a parked vehicle with another man, police said.

Stokes ran from officers who tried to detain him, according to police. He was detained shortly afterward in the 00 block of Oak Avenue, police said.

Officers determined the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Stokes was in had been reported stolen out of Berkeley the previous day, and arrested King when he returned to the vehicle, police said.

Officers found King in possession of the victim’s stolen cell phone, police said.

The necklace, a piece of costume jewelry valued at less than $50, was not recovered.

Officers returned the stolen vehicle to its owner after processing it for evidence, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the PAPD’s 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.