Executive Summary
- A 20-year-old man was arrested following two reported armed robberies in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto.
- The suspect was apprehended after a police pursuit ended in a crash involving a stolen Kia Soul.
- Police recovered a replica firearm and stolen property from the scene.
- Two other suspects fled the crash site and remain at large.
A 20-year-old Redwood City resident was taken into custody on Sunday following a series of alleged armed robberies and a subsequent vehicle pursuit that concluded with a crash in East Palo Alto. According to a joint press release from the Palo Alto and East Palo Alto police departments, the suspect was one of three individuals involved in the incidents, while two accomplices remain at large.
The sequence of events reportedly began shortly after 10:00 a.m. at Jack Farrell Park in East Palo Alto. Police state that three armed suspects approached a juvenile victim, brandished firearms, and forcibly took his personal belongings. During the encounter, one suspect allegedly smashed the victim’s mobile phone on the ground to prevent him from immediately contacting authorities.
Minutes later, Palo Alto police responded to a second incident where a male suspect reportedly presented a firearm to a woman in her 30s and demanded her purse. The victim negotiated to keep certain items, and as she retrieved them, the suspect fled the scene in a green Kia Soul. Officers later determined the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Suisun City.
A Palo Alto officer subsequently located the Kia near the intersection of University Avenue and Woodland Avenue in East Palo Alto. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled, initiating a brief pursuit. The chase ended when the Kia was involved in a hit-and-run collision. Two occupants fled the vehicle on foot, while a third individual, identified as the suspect from the Palo Alto robbery attempt, remained at the scene and was arrested. Authorities noted that the driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Investigators recovered a replica firearm from the scene, which they believe was used in the attempted robbery in Palo Alto, along with property belonging to the victim of the earlier East Palo Alto robbery.
Investigative Outlook
Law enforcement officials are actively searching for the two outstanding suspects who fled the crash site. The investigation remains ongoing as officers process the recovered evidence, including the stolen vehicle and the replica firearm, to identify the remaining individuals. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
