A man who allegedly tried to steal a laptop and camera from another man outside Palo Alto's Winter Lodge on Friday afternoon was quickly arrested by police.

A witness reported the attempted robbery, which took place in the parking of the ice skating rink at 3009 Middlefield Road, shortly before 1 p.m., according to a police press release. Emergency dispatchers also received a call from the victim moments later.

Officers located the suspect in the 2800 block of Middlefield Road and arrested him on suspicion of attempted robbery, according to police. He was a 34-year-old man from Palo Alto, police said.

A preliminary police investigation found that the suspect had been watching the victim, a man in his 20s, as he placed a camera and laptop into his backpack. The suspect allegedly tried to take the items, but the victim shoved the older man away. The suspect ran away from the parking lot and was seen heading north on Middlefield Road.

The victim didn't report any physical injuries, police said.

Investigators are looking into whether the 34-year-old man is tied to other robberies. As of Friday evening, there was no evidence that linked him to other crimes, according to police.

Anyone with information about the attempted robbery is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.

Editor's note: Palo Alto Online's policy is to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the district attorney has determined there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case. Read our guidelines.