Police arrested a man in downtown Palo Alto last night for strong-arm robbery and returned the stolen property to the victim.
On Monday, October 2, 2023, at about 9:15 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a man in his thirties reporting that he had been robbed on Alma Street at Lytton Avenue. The victim reported that the suspect, whom he had just met while riding the Caltrain north from San Jose and getting off in Palo Alto, had stolen his backpack and a bag of clothing after claiming he had a gun and threatening to kill him unless he handed over the items. The victim said the suspect also shoved him when stealing the property. The victim declined any medical attention.
At about 9:26 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from employees at the downtown 7-Eleven convenience store at 401 Waverley Street reporting a man inside creating a disturbance. When officers arrived, they recognized him as the robbery suspect and took him into custody without incident at about 9:31 p.m. The suspect had the victim’s stolen property in his possession. The suspect did not have a firearm.
Police booked the suspect, 36-year-old Dennis Isaac Holmes of San Jose, into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for robbery and a parole violation (both felonies). Holmes is on active parole stemming from a prior conviction of assault with a deadly weapon. His booking photo is available at www.cityofpaloalto.org/PAPDnews.
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.
