Police are investigating a strong-arm robbery of a wallet from a woman in the parking lot of a shopping center that occurred yesterday afternoon. The victim was not physically injured, and the suspect is unknown and at large.
On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at about 4:52 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a woman in her fifties who reported she had been the victim of a strong-arm robbery at the Town & Country Shopping Center at 855 El Camino Real around 3:45 p.m.
The investigation revealed that the victim had been placing shopping bags in her vehicle in the parking lot when she felt someone tugging on her cross-body purse from behind. She turned around and was confronted by the suspect, who demanded her wallet. The victim handed over her wallet, and the suspect fled on foot southbound through the parking lot. She returned home before calling police. The victim was not physically injured.
The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, about six feet tall and 200 pounds, with a muscular build. He was cleanshaven and was wearing a black beanie, black sweatshirt, and black pants. If the victim can work with a police artist to produce a sketch of the suspect, we will release that as soon as it is available.
The victim also reported that after the robbery, an unknown suspect used one of her stolen credit cards to attempt to make purchases in Palo Alto at an Apple Store and the Whole Foods Market. The victim’s credit card company declined the transactions.
Police are actively investigating this case. There have been no similar robberies in Palo Alto recently.
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.
