Police seek 2 men involved in strong-arm robbery
PALO ALTO » Authorities are searching for two men who allegedly robbed a woman and knocked her to the ground in Palo Alto on Monday.
The incident was reported shortly before 3 p.m. on the 700 block of Colorado Avenue.
The victim, a woman in her 50s, told authorities she was sitting in her parked vehicle with the window open when a man approached her and offered to fix the dents in her vehicle, according to Palo Alto police spokeswoman Janine De La Vega.
De La Vega said the victim refused the offer, but the suspect persisted. She started recording video with her cellphone, and that’s when a second man approached the back of her vehicle and began yelling and swearing at her.
The victim got out and tried to record the second man. He snatched the phone from her hand, pulled her glasses off her face and pushed her to the ground, according to De La Vega.
As the victim fell backward, she grabbed her attacker’s shirt and tore it off his body.
De La Vega said the man tossed the woman’s phone across a parking lot and left the scene with the other suspect.
The victim managed to find her glasses and phone. She suffered minor injuries to her hand, shoulder and elbow but declined medical attention at the scene, according to De La Vega.
The man who took the phone was described as Latino, 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds. He had a purple long-sleeve shirt.
The other man was described as tan, 6 feet tall and heavyset with shoulder- length hair. He was last seen wearing a blackand-white Ecko Unltd. shirt, sunglasses and a gray Bass Pro Shops hat.
De La Vega said the incident does not appear to be related to any other recent strong-arm robberies in the area.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the Palo Alto Police Department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.