Police are looking for three suspects following an armed robbery that took place inside the Safeway store in the Midtown neighborhood of Palo Alto early Friday morning.
On Friday, January 10, 2020 at around 12:41 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a report of a robbery in progress and a shot fired inside Safeway located at 2811 Middlefield Road. The preliminary investigation revealed that at around 12:38 a.m., three male suspects entered Safeway. One suspect brandished a handgun and ordered a male employee on the ground near the pharmacy which was closed. A second suspect broke the glass door of the pharmacy, entered, and stole an unknown amount of prescription drugs. All three suspects then ran out of the store and fled in a pickup truck that was last seen traveling eastbound on Oregon Expressway.
While initially there was a report of gunfire, it does not appear that the suspect discharged his gun. A witness heard the glass door shattering and may have confused that sound with a gun shot. No customers were inside at the time of the robbery. The four employees who were working are uninjured.
All three suspects are Hispanic male adults in their twenties with medium builds. Video surveillance from Safeway shows the suspect who brandished the handgun wore a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and red tennis shoes. The second suspect wore a yellow hooded sweatshirt with a Tommy Hilfiger logo on it, dark pants, and black shoes. The third suspect wore a red hooded jacket, grey pants, and white sneakers. He is clean shaven. The suspect vehicle is described as a full size red two-door pickup truck. It appeared to be an early 2000 model Ford or Chevrolet.
Detectives are actively investigating and reviewing surveillance video. If the video is helpful in identifying the suspects, we will provide images.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
