Police Investigating Attempted Robbery of Bicyclist

Published on September 20, 2021

Palo Alto, CA – Police are investigating a robbery attempt that occurred Saturday morning, where a man attempted to take a bicycle from an adult victim.  There were no injuries. The suspect is at large.

On Saturday, September 18, 2021, at about 10:45 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of an attempted robbery that had occurred earlier that morning on the pedestrian/bicycle bridge over San Francisquito Creek near the 700 block of Clark Way.

The investigation revealed that at about 8:55 a.m., the victim (a man in his thirties) was riding his bicycle southbound on the pedestrian/bicycle bridge that separates from Menlo Park from Palo Alto.  The suspect blocked his path, demanded his bicycle, and attempted to grab the bike’s handlebars unsuccessfully.  The victim was able to get past him and ride away.  As the victim left, the suspect spat on the victim’s back and threw a beer can at him.  The can did not hit the victim.

The victim described the suspect as a Black male in his thirties, about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build and a dark complexion.  He was unshaven and dirty/unkempt in appearance.  The victim said the suspect was wearing a gray sweater, gray shorts, and possibly a blue beanie.  The victim believed it was possible the suspect was under the influence of alcohol, and said his movements were not well-coordinated when he attempted to grab the handlebars.  No suspect sketch is presently available; should one become available, we will release it immediately.

There have been no similar crimes reported in the recent past in Palo Alto.  Detectives are actively investigating the case.

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.