|
|
|
Uploaded: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 9:44 AM
Man steals leaf blower in Palo Alto armed robbery
Armed robbery reported Monday afternoon on Channing Avenue
|
Palo Alto police are looking for a man who threatened a gardener with a knife and stole her leaf blower Monday, Oct. 22.
The gardener was working in the front yard of a house in the 900 block of Channing Avenue at about 1:40 p.m. when she noticed a man rifling through equipment in the back of her pickup truck, which was parked on the street, a police spokesman said. The gardener told the man to get out of the truck but he refused, police said. The man then took a leaf blower from the truck, at which point the woman approached him and grabbed him by the collar, according to police.
The man brandished a silver folding knife and the woman picked up a piece of wood from the truck, prompting the man to say "you don't want to do that," police said. The man then took the leaf blower and fled in his vehicle, which was described as a dark-colored, older model Acura with front-end damage.
The man is described as Hispanic, approximately 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing black jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt, had collar-length hair, a goatee and "rotten teeth," police said. The gardener was not injured during the robbery.— Tyler Hanley Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
|
|
| Comments
|
Posted by neighbor, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 10:57 am Gee, such drama! Any witnesses from all the nearby homes on Channing?
|
|
Posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 12:14 pm Wow! What a brave, gutsy woman that gardener is! I am truly impressed! Glad she knew when to quit, though, or it might have turned into a murder as well as an armed robbery.
Obviously, she got a good look at him and gave a solid description, and hopefully there were witnesses.
Almost sounds like a competing gardener, though, stealing a leaf blower.
|
|
Posted by Aquamarine, a resident of Stanford, on Oct 24, 2012 at 4:51 pm So many possible responses to this....
-The rarity of a female gardener
-Her stupid or gutsy? attempt to stop the robbery
-The robber's stupid gutsiness using a weapon & committing the crime in broad daylight
-Any hope he just doesn't like the hideous leaf blowers we all detest?
But seriously, what a cretin. I'm glad no one was hurt.
|
|
Posted by stretch, a resident of another community, on Oct 24, 2012 at 6:07 pm In this day and age, I'm wondering why the gardener didn't whip out her cell phone and take a picture of the guy's car. Or at least the license plate.
|
|
Posted by cfo, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Oct 24, 2012 at 6:43 pm but town drunks will still be police priority. maybe thats what you want. yawn---
|
|
Posted by Anon., a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Oct 25, 2012 at 3:11 am This infuriates me. There seems to be a class of people who though ignorant realize the mathematics of the policing situation in Palo Alto and local cities that they cannot be in all place at all times and so they blatantly and maliciously engage in this kind of criminal behavior. It gets more and more in our faces every day and nothing is done about it. Is it any wonder people overwhelmingly want immigration reform? Find this dirtbag and throw the book at him.
|
|
Posted by ducatigirl, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 25, 2012 at 12:27 pm
ducatigirl is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online Any update on this crime? I am sur the gardener was too shaken at the time to whip out her cell phone and take a picture of the perp and his plates, if he even had a car. This kind of thing would unnerve anyone.
|
|
Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Oct 25, 2012 at 1:44 pm Maybe he wanted to clean those nasty teeth w/the leaf blower. What a scumbag!
|
|
Posted by Frank, a resident of another community, on Oct 25, 2012 at 7:13 pm Gosh, if the man is that desperate for a leaf blower I'll gladly give him one of mine. Wait a minute, mine has a label that states "Not for use in the State of California". Never mind, I rescind my offer.
|
|
|
| |
Best Website
First Place
2009-2012
|
Send this story
Print this story
