Police investigate strong-arm robbery at Town & Country

A woman was robbed during the daytime in the Town & Country Village Shopping Center parking lot on Tuesday, June 20, prompting a police investigation.

The strong-arm robbery occurred at 3:45 p.m. at the center, located at 855 El Camino Real in Palo Alto. Police dispatchers received a call from a woman in her 50s at about 4:52 p.m. alerting them to the crime.

The woman was placing shopping bags in her car when she felt someone pulling on her cross-body purse from behind. She turned around and was confronted by a 6-foot-tall, approximately 200-pound muscular man who demanded her wallet, she told police. She handed over the wallet and the suspect ran south through the parking lot, Palo Alto police said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

The woman was not physically injured, and the robber is unknown and at large. She returned home before calling the police.

Police said they would release a sketch of the suspect as soon as possible if the victim can work with a police artist. The victim additionally described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his mid-20s. He was clean shaven and was wearing a black beanie, black sweatshirt and black pants.

The victim also reported that after the robbery, someone tried to use her stolen credit cards at an Apple Store and the Whole Foods Market in Palo Alto. The victim’s credit card company declined the transactions, police said.

Detectives are actively investigating this case. There have been no similar robberies in Palo Alto recently, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 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 voicemail to 650-383-8984.