Police arrested a man for felony vandalism early this morning after he broke the windows of several businesses in downtown Palo Alto.
On Monday, January 31, 2022, at about 3:54 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of an in-progress vandalism that had just occurred at SliderBar at 324 University Avenue. The caller reported they had witnessed a suspect kick and shatter a front window of the restaurant and continue walking. The caller reported that other businesses in the immediate vicinity also had broken windows.
Officers responded immediately and detained the suspect without incident at 3:58 a.m. at Bryant Street and Lytton Avenue. An area check revealed that many other downtown businesses had broken windows. Those businesses included Siam Royal at 338 University Avenue, the Apple Store at 340 University Avenue, Design Within Reach at 355 University Avenue, Union Bank at 400 University Avenue, YAYOI at 403 University Avenue, lululemon at 432 University Avenue, Form Fitness at 445 Bryant Street, Apercen Partners LLC at 314 Lytton Avenue, and commercial properties at 255, 265, and 390 Lytton Avenue. None of the properties appeared to have been burglarized. Initial replacement estimates from the various businesses are still pending, though police believe the total damage to be well in excess of $100,000.
The investigation revealed that the suspect was responsible for each of the broken windows and had used physical force or various items (such as rocks and trash can lids) to help him break all the windows in a very short period of time.
Police booked the suspect, 37-year-old Joshua Sinclair Kahan of Palo Alto, at the Santa Clara County Main Jail for twelve counts of felony vandalism. The suspect’s motive for breaking the windows is unknown. Police also booked the suspect for three outstanding arrest warrants (felony evading and misdemeanor battery out of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, and misdemeanor violation of court order out of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety). The suspect’s booking photo is available on our website at www.cityofpaloalto.org/PAPDnews.
Anyone with information about these incidents 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 voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
