PALO ALTO – A 34-year-old Mountain View man has been arrested on suspicion of robbing a 16-year-old boy at knifepoint Monday morning in Palo Alto, police said.
The incident occurred at 1:45 a.m., on the bike path behind the Town & Country Village shopping center near the 800 block of El Camino Real, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.
Police said an investigation revealed that the victim had been riding his bicycle on the path when he heard someone yelling at him to stop, which he did. A man rode up to him on a bicycle, pulled out a pocketknife and demanded his cellphone and cash.
The victim handed over his property and the suspect rode away southbound on the path.
Around 3:25 a.m., police tracked the victim’s cellphone to Page Mill Road and El Camino Real. Officers searched the area, but they did not find the cellphone or the suspect.
Roughly half an hour later, an officer spotted a man who matched the suspect’s description riding a bicycle southbound on El Camino Real. The officer detained the man, who was ultimately identified as the suspect. A pocketknife matching the description of the one used in the robbery was found in the man’s pocket, police said.
Officers also found suspected methamphetamine and narcotics paraphernalia on the man, but not the cellphone, police said.
The man was booked into Santa Clara County jail on a felony charge of robbery and misdemeanor charges of possession of methamphetamine and narcotics paraphernalia.
Police said detectives are checking to see if there is any connection between the suspect and two other recent street robberies. On Friday, a 16-year-old girl was pushed off her bicycle and robbed of her cellphone near Embarcadero Road and El Camino Real. An attempted robbery was also reported Sunday at the Palo Alto Transit Center.
Anyone with information related to the cases can contact police at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.
Source: www.mercurynews.com