Weekend Crime Spree in Palo Alto

If you unplugged over the weekend—you missed a lot of crime news. Two women were robbed in separate incidents downtown, and a business on East Bayshore was robbed at gunpoint. Also over the weekend, police announced the arrest of a burglary suspect, nabbed because of a surveillance camera.

The first woman was victimized after asking a group of men if she could buy a cigarette from them. She ended up getting bitten by the suspect when she tried to hang onto the $5 he was stealing. He was later arrested.

Robber Bites Woman Over $5

The other woman was going to her car in a parking garage when she was grabbed by man who stole money out of her back pocket.  She was not injured. The suspect is still on the loose. His distinctive hairstyle could help investigators catch their man.

Woman Robbed in Downtown Parking Garage

The Public Storage was robbed Saturday, just before 5 p.m. The robber used a silver handgun to hold up the lone employee who was at the business at the time. He was not injured. The gunman is still free.

Armed Suspect Robs Palo Alto Public Storage

Although the crime happened last Wednesday, police didn’t announce until Saturday that they’ve arrested a Hayward maintenance man for entering a woman’s apartment and stealing her belongings, including a surveillance camera. Lucky for her, the camera emailed photos of the burglar before it was swiped.

Surveillance Camera Helps PA Police Nab Burglar

Police are two for four in solving the crimes. If you have information that may help catch either of the robbers, phone the 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.

Also on Palo Alto Patch:

Open House: $5.6 Million Spanish Colonial Revival Mansion

Hundreds of Weapons Collected in County Gun Buyback Program

The Sequester: What It Means For Social Security

Sequestration Budget Cuts: How Many Federal Employees Does Santa Clara County Have?