Police Investigate Strong-Arm Robbery Last Night
Published on January 07, 2023
Palo Alto, CA – Police are investigating a strong-arm robbery that occurred yesterday evening, where an unknown suspect stole a purse from a woman in her seventies as she was sitting in her parked vehicle. The victim sustained minor physical injuries. The suspect, as well as his accomplice who drove the getaway car, are at large.
On Friday, January 6, 2023, at about 7:36 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a strong-arm robbery that had just occurred in the 1000 block of Tanland Drive, where the suspects had last been seen driving away in a vehicle eastbound on Amarillo Avenue. Officers responded immediately but could not find the suspects.
The investigation revealed that the victim, a woman in her seventies, had just returned to her parked vehicle. As she sat in the driver’s seat, she placed her purse on the front passenger seat. She noticed a man get out of a vehicle that had just pulled up across the street. That man walked over to her car, opened the passenger side door, and tried to take her purse. The victim held onto it, and a brief struggle ensued. The suspect was able to wrest the purse away from the victim, and he ran back to the waiting car and got into the passenger’s seat. The car then sped away toward Amarillo Avenue, and a witness reported that it turned eastbound to head towards West Bayshore Road. The victim complained of pain to one of her hands but declined medical attention.
The victim described the primary suspect as a male of unknown race between 18 and 22 years of age, wearing a black or blue hooded sweatshirt with white lettering. The victim did not see the driver of the suspect vehicle. The victim and witness described the suspect vehicle as a minivan or hatchback, gray in color. Detectives are investigating the case. There have been no similar strong-arm robberies reported in Palo Alto recently.
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.