Palo Alto 'Wine Bottle' Assault Suspect Arrested

PALO ALTO, CA — A Peninsula woman was arrested Saturday in connection with a robbery and assault in which she used an empty wine bottle as a weapon, Palo Alto police said.

Ariana Michelle Goree, 31 of East Palo Alto, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery (both felonies) and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, police said.

Officers responded to a 2:55 p.m. call reporting an in-progress disturbance in the parking lot of the Baylands Athletic Center at 1900 Geng Road from a victim who reported a woman was following him and attacking him with liquor bottles, police said.

The officers shortly afterward located and detained the suspect near San Francisquito Creek.

Officers determined that three men in their 20s were in the parking lot unloading a vehicle when the suspect who was not known to them approached and began yelling at them, police said.

She became increasingly aggressive, and then attacked them with an empty wine bottle, police said.

“She struck two of the men multiple times on the back and arms with the bottle, which did not break,” police said.

“As the third man called police for help, the suspect then stole a Bluetooth speaker belonging to him that was nearby, then dropped the bottle and walked away.”

One of the men sustained a minor abrasion to his arm from being struck with the bottle, but he declined medical attention, police said.

Police recovered the speaker in the suspect’s possession and returned it to the owner.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the PAPD 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.