Police are looking for a man suspected of robbing a man at gunpoint in downtown Palo Alto on Saturday night — the first armed street robbery of the year.
A man in his 20s called police around 11 p.m. to report he had just been robbed in the 500 block of Homer Avenue, police said in a press release Sunday.
The man was walking east on the north sidewalk of the 500 block of Homer Avenue at about 10:50 p.m. when a man approached him from behind and demanded his wallet, police said. The man attempted to run away, heading east on Homer Avenue, but the alleged suspect caught up to him and pushed him to the ground.
The alleged suspect stood over the man, placed a handgun to his forehead and demanded his property, police said. The man gave his wallet and cellphone; the alleged suspect then ran away west on Homer Avenue.
The man, who sustained minor abrasions as a result of being pushed to the ground, went to friend’s house and called police.
He described the alleged suspect as a black or Hispanic man in his 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build, police said. He was wearing a white and red bandanna over his face, a white and red baseball hat, a dark-colored jacket, and loose-fitting blue jeans. The man described the weapon as a dark-colored handgun.
Police said a sketch of the suspect is not likely to be produced, since the alleged robber’s face was covered.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the police department’s 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. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the police department’s free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
This part of town is scary at night after all the businesses are closed. A lot of people do walk from the downtown restaurants to their homes in central Palo Alto at around this time. I wish the police would increase foot patrols along popular pedestrian routes. With the very dim street lights and parked SUVs blocking the view of the sidewalk, police in patrol cars can’t see much.
Just around the block from where someone met his end on Christmas 2015.
I completely agree with the comments from “resident” above. As a woman, I will not walk after it is dark, even though we only live about ten blocks from downtown. I also feel that the garages downtown are not safe enough.
It seems that nearly everyone owns guns nowadays. How terribly scary!
I support and applaud our young people in school for standing up against guns. They will be adults soon.
There are gas powered shotguns out there for under $400. A reliable pump 12ga for under$200 on sale..people should not hesitate to protect their own neighborhoods
When seconds count the police are only minutes away
We live in Palo Alto because it is a safe community, free of crime. I can walk around at night without fear of being mugged or assualuted. The political police are vigiltant and will protect me from harm.
Why don’t we have police officers on foot patrol???
Some surveillance cameras would make sense in public areas like this.
You can even walk around the street of south side Chicago after 12AM, as I did everyday for 3 years. Multiple gangstaz seen, no incidents. Street smart strongly recommended.
@anneke, the CRIMINAL could have easily used a knife. What would you have blamed then?
I’m glad the guy who got robbed is okay. I hope anyone looking for guidance on safety in public spaces would call the Palo Alto PD. I’m sure they have sound information and advice.