Posted by Paly mom, a member of the Palo Alto High School community, on Mar 4, 2008 at 9:51 am

I'm glad the Paly student wasn't injured when interrupting the crook.

Posted by tiger, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Mar 4, 2008 at 4:38 pm

what does this scumbag look like? Why is there no suspect description?

Is he black, white, hispanic, what? information, people. need the 411.

Posted by Parent, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Mar 4, 2008 at 4:52 pm

Kudos to the student for doing the right thing and calling the police. I spoke with my own high schooler about this and was surprised at what he thought the right thing to have done would have been. We should all show this to our teenagers and talk to them about what they should do if they ever come home to this.

Well done, Paly or Gunn student.

Posted by Jerry, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Mar 4, 2008 at 7:37 pm

Tiger:

I was the one to "break" this story yesterday, so I will repeat my first-hand account of what a police officer told me on the scene. A female, plainclothes officer told me they were looking for "a hispanic male, limping around." That was the extent of what she said - no elaboration.

It would be beneficial if the weekly staff could merge the comments on this story with the one already on the message board.

Posted by Paly77, a resident of another community, on Mar 5, 2008 at 10:17 am

What ever happened to the nieghborhood watch programs?

Times are hard for the working class poor, so I am not surprised that there are bay area citys that have become targets!

Glad to hear that no one was hurt!

Posted by jose, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2008 at 12:08 pm

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Posted by GMC, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2008 at 12:56 pm

I'm a proud NRA member, gun owner and enjoy target shooting, but I do get concerned when I read something a little overzealous like the above post. If you are interested in shooting, or owning a gun for self protection, by all means, do so, but do so carefully and responsibly. There are a multitude of courses available - many at fairly low cost.

Keep in mind, firearms would not change the course of most of these daytime robberies. I wouldn't exactly expect this high school student to be "packing" on the way home from school.

When I took my first introductory firearms class, one of the instructors - who had military and police experience, and even provided military and police training said that your first option should always be to just get away if you can. 99 percent of the time, that's your best shot, no pun intended.

If you do want to learn more, head down to Reed's Indoor Range in Santa Clara, or their sporting goods store in San Jose. They have a lot of courses there, and very knowledgeable people who can help you out. They take safety very seriously there.

Posted by KD, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2008 at 10:15 pm

Guns are not the answer. How about locking up your house? And be good witnesses...

Posted by Katie, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 6, 2008 at 1:23 am

It is really scary that there are burglaries in such a safe feeling neighborhood. I don't think that buying a gun is the answer to your solution, it will only help when you are home and will most likely result in someone getting killed. Statistics show that it will not be the intended perp, but rather you or a loved one. I say get a big dog or an alarm system!! We need a neighborhood watch!

Posted by jose, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Mar 6, 2008 at 5:34 pm

GMC, if the student had arrived before the burglar she would have been in the home with her gun. And what does it say about our system where every burglar or would-be rapist knows that any student arriving at home is defenseless and unarmed?

Surely you can think your way past this conundrum? If burglars were afraid of being shot by an armed resident, the rate of burglary would decrease dramatically. They have no fear because they perceive no threat. What Im advocating is a level of preparation and deterrence (involving a comprehensive security/monitoring system in conjunction with an armed homeowner) that would cut down on property crimes.

BTW, did you read about the Sunnyvale case of the woman stabbed in her own home, with her own knife, which the intruder had picked up upon entering? Perhaps she should have just tried to get away? Oh, wait, thats right, she did, but he was blocking the door. What exactly was he planning on doing with the knife, you think?

You think maybe he would have reconsidered his plan had he had a reasonable suspicion an armed resident was inside that home?

I think you need to start reading the monthly magazine the NRA sends you (assuming you are in fact a member), and in particular the section in every issue detailing the defensive uses of a firearm across the country.

Posted by jose, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Mar 6, 2008 at 5:37 pm

KD, I suppose you think these homes are just left unlocked? Burglars never kick in the door, breaking the deadbolt, or force the lock, or pry a window from its frame?