News Release: Woman Thwarts Wallet Theft Attempt
A woman walking on an El Camino Real sidewalk successfully stopped a theft attempt after she felt the female suspect walking behind her remove the wallet from her purse. The suspect and her male accomplice are unknown and at large.
On Thursday, June 30, 2022, at about 6:33 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a woman reporting a robbery attempt that had occurred within the past ten minutes in the 3900 block of El Camino Real. Police responded immediately but were not able to locate the suspects.
The investigation revealed that the victim, a woman in her fifties, had been walking southbound on the west sidewalk of El Camino Real by herself. She was wearing a clutch purse on a shoulder strap. She felt the flap on the clutch being opened, and the clutch then becoming lighter. She immediately turned around and saw a female suspect holding her wallet, which had been in her clutch. There was a male suspect standing behind the female suspect. The victim had not previously noticed them walking behind her.
The victim immediately grabbed the female suspect’s wrist, causing the suspect to drop the wallet. The victim retrieved her wallet and told the suspects she was going to call the police, at which point they began running away northbound on the sidewalk. The victim returned to her nearby hotel and notified the police. The victim was not physically injured.
The victim described the suspect as a white female between 35 and 50 years old, about 5 feet 4 inches tall with a medium build. She had a blonde ponytail and was wearing a light-colored sweater. The victim described the male as being of unknown race, heavyset, between 35 and 50 years old. He had slicked-back hair and was wearing a striped polo shirt. The victim made no mention of any vehicle associated with either suspect. An image of the suspects from a nearby security camera is attached to this release.
There have been no similar pickpocket attempts reported recently to the police in Palo Alto.
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 voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
Address/Location
Palo Alto Police Department
275 Forest Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 650-329-2406