Crime & Safety

Armed Biker Attempts to Rob Pedestrian in Palo Alto

The victim tried to wrestle the gun out of the man's hands near the Webster Street parking garage.

Palo Alto Police are searching for a man who attempted to rob a pedestrian in downtown Palo Alto Friday night.

The victim was walking on a path near the parking garage located at 520 Webster Street at around 8 p.m. when a man on a bicycle rolled up beside him. The cyclist pulled out a gun and demanded that the pedestrian give him cash, according to the police report.  

The pedestrian, who is in his fifties, grabbed the cyclist’s arm and tried to take the gun away from him; they both fell to the ground and wrestled over the gun, according to Officer Marco Estrada. The victim relinquished the fight and ran away, uninjured. 

The cyclist did not chase the victim and was last seen near the parking garage. 

Police describe the suspect as a black male in his late 20s, who is about 165 pounds. He was wearing a bulky, burnt orange jacket and a dark cap during the attempted robbery.  The bike he was riding is a brown, “cruiser-style” bike, according to police. 

A sketch of the suspect is not available at this time.  

Police are investigating the incident and exploring whether it is related to three recent robberies in downtown Palo Alto.  On January 22, a man and woman were robbed in the 300 block of Ramona Street.  The next month,  a man was robbed in his carport in the 1000 block of Tanland Drive on February 9.  Four days later, a woman walking on the 300 block of Bryant Street was robbed.

Police are asking people to be alert while walking through town. They ask that anyone with information about this crime to call 650-329-2413 or email it to paloalto@tipnow.org.  

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