PALO ALTO — A woman walking in a residential neighborhood near Palo Alto High School was suddenly attacked Sunday morning by a man who tore off her necklace, shoved her to the ground and ran off with her cellphone, police said.
Nearly two hours after the robbery at 11:38 a.m. on the 300 block of Manzanita Avenue, the investigation led police to Redwood City, where they located the suspected robber, who was on parole, and another man. Both were arrested in connection with the robbery and on other charges.
According to police, the middle-aged victim had been walking east on Manzanita Avenue near her home when she saw a man approach her on the sidewalk. When she said hello, he suddenly ripped the jewelry from her neck and shoved her to the ground.
When the woman took out her cellphone and told the robber she was going to photograph him, he walked toward her, police said. She threw her phone into a nearby yard. The robber found it, grabbed it and fled the area on foot.
The woman went to her home nearby and called police. While she reported minor injuries to one ankle and shin, she declined medical attention, police said.
At 1:16 p.m., a Palo Alto police officer found two men in a parked 2017 Volkswagen Golf, about five miles away on Redwood Avenue in Redwood City. One of the men matched the description of the robber, police said. When a second Palo Alto officer arrived and the two officers tried to detain the suspect, he jumped out of the car and fled on foot.
Officers chased and detained him without incident, police said. The second man had briefly left the car but returned. Police learned that the car had been reported stolen the day before to the Berkeley Police Department. Police also found the woman’s stolen cellphone in the second man’s pocket.
The robbery suspect was a 28-year-old Oakland man who was on parole for a prior robbery conviction, police said. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of robbery, possession of the stolen vehicle and other property, and resisting arrest. He also was on probation from Alameda County for a prior grand theft conviction.
The second man was a 24-year-old Antioch resident, police said. He was booked on suspicion of stolen property, including the woman’s cellphone, being an accessory to the robbery and an outstanding infraction warrant for fare evasion from the San Bruno Police Department.
Source: www.mercurynews.com