Surveillance pics of suspect and vehicle
PALO ALTO– In a brazen day time robbery, a suspect rear ended a driver on her way to the bank with the last night’s deposits of cash from her business. The female victim soon realized after the incident that the driver intentionally drove into her car in order to rob her.
According to Palo Alto Police, “On Monday, August 28, 2017, at about 9:42 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a strong-arm robbery that had just occurred in the 400 block of Newell Road.” Dispatched officers quickly responded to the scene but were unable to locate the suspects in the immediate area.
The investigation into the robbery revealed that the woman had left the 7-Eleven at 77 Newell Road in East Palo Alto, driving towards Palo Alto with the intent to make a deposit at a local Palo Alto based bank.
Driving down Newell Road towards Edgewood Road, the unknown suspect drove into the back of her vehicle. It was then a black male got out from the passenger side of the vehicle and began apologizing to the employee for hitting her.
He told the female victim that she should take photos of the damage while he attempted to talk to the insurance company. But suddenly as she exited the vehicle the male lunged at her, snatching her cell phone and reaching into her car for the money she intended to deposit.
He then took her cell phone and thousands of dollars in cash, re-entering the passenger seat of the getaway car as the driver sped off. Another driver witnessed the robbery occur and called 9-1-1.
Video surveillance at the 7-11 showed the suspects entering the parking lot around 5:30 AM and waiting in the parking lot. When the victim left, they began to follow her until they were at a safe distance before causing a minor crash.
The robbery suspect is described as a black male in his twenties, standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with short hair. The suspect was wearing a loose white T-shirt with khaki pants.
The male driver is described as Pacific Islander male in his twenties. The driver was seen wearing a black T-shirt and had long brown curly hair.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.
