In one of the stranger crimes to hit Palo Alto in recent months, a man approached a woman near Stanford Hospital and told her he was trying to decide whether to rob her, Palo Alto police said.

The woman was walking to her car in the 300 block of Pasteur Drive Thursday, Dec. 13, at about 8:20 p.m. when the man blocked her path by standing in front of her and trying to engage in conversation. He began asking the victim, who is in her 20s, questions about how long she has worked in the area and how long she had walked in the dark alone, and whether she was carrying pepper spray, police said.

When the victim asked why he wanted to know, he replied that he was trying to decide whether he should take her bag. At that moment, a jogger ran by and distracted the man. The victim immediately walked around the man and hurried to her car. The man did not follow her. The victim notified police on Saturday.

The man is described as a black male in his 40s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall. He had a thin build and was clean-shaven. He wore a bright blue windbreaker, black pants and a black beanie. The victim did not see any weapons, police said.

Police do not believe the incident is related to the two downtown robbery attempts on Dec. 2 that occurred during the early morning. The department recommends that people remain aware of their surroundings when out for walks and report suspicious behavior immediately to 911.

Anyone who might have information about the incident is asked to contact the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

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