A man and woman suspected of robbing a jewelry store in Palo Alto at gunpoint on Wednesday, Oct. 22, escaped with about 25 high-end watches valued at about $120,000 according to Palo Alto police.
At about 4:27 p.m. police received a 911 call from employees at Gleim the Jeweler at the Stanford Shopping Center, 180 El Camino Real, reporting the armed robbery. Officers responded immediately, but could not locate the suspects. There were no other customers in the store at the time of the robbery, and none of the employees were injured.
The first robber is described as a black male, between 35 and 40 years of age, with a medium build and beard. He was wearing a navy-colored, long-sleeved jumpsuit, similar to what a mechanic might wear. He had a white elastic dust mask worn around his neck, and a white ACE Hardware cap with a red brim.
The second robber is described as a black female adult, about 30 years old, with a thin build and shoulder-length wavy hair that the employees believed to be a wig. She was wearing a United States Postal Service vest over a white T-shirt and dark pants. She carried an oversized purse with a flower design. Both suspects had black semi-automatic handguns.
Investigations revealed that the woman entered the store and asked an employee to show her some watches. Once the employee opened the case and handed a watch to the woman, the male robber entered the store with a handgun. He ordered the three employees to the ground.
The woman, who also had a handgun, went behind the counter and emptied approximately 25 high-end watches into her purse, police said. The two suspects then fled on foot out the front door. Police Sgt. Brian Philip confirmed the number of watches and their estimated value on Thursday.
Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.