Armed Suspect Robs Palo Alto Public Storage

Palo Alto police say a man armed with a handgun entered Public Storage yesterday afternoon and robbed the business and employee of cash and other property.

On Saturday at about 4:57 p.m., the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center received a 9-1-1 call reporting that an armed robbery had just occurred at Public Storage at 2047 East Bayshore Rd. Officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, but were not able to locate the suspect. No one was injured during the robbery.

The investigation revealed that the suspect entered the business while only a single employee was inside.

According to police, the suspect produced a silver semi-automatic handgun and held the victim, a man in his fifties, at gunpoint. The suspect took property from the victim and then took cash and the landline phone from the business. The suspect ordered the victim to the ground and then fled on foot. The victim did not see or hear a suspect vehicle.

After waiting a few minutes, the victim went to a nearby business and called  9-1-1.

The victim described the suspect as a black male in his twenties, about 6-feet tall with a thin build. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, blue jeans, and dark-colored gloves. He had an inch-long growth of facial hair on his chin. It is possible that the victim may be able to work with a police sketch artist to produce a sketch; if that occurs, police say the sketch will be released separately as soon as it is available.

It is unknown if this robbery is connected to any of the street robberies that have occurred in Palo Alto since December 2. Detectives are actively investigating this case and any connection it may have to the others.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact PAPD's 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.

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