Police are investigating an attempted robbery that occurred on a trail at Byxbee Park earlier this week after 9 p.m. when it was closed. The victim was not physically injured, and the two suspects are unknown and at large.
On Monday, October 30, 2023, at about 10:56 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a suspicious circumstance that had occurred near the Baylands Nature Preserve earlier in the evening. The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his thirties, was walking on a trail inside Byxbee Park at 2375 Embarcadero Road between 9 and 10 p.m. He had parked his vehicle on the East Bayshore Road side and entered the park from there.
The victim said he encountered two men on the trail walking towards him. One of the men signaled for him to stop, which he did. The other man went behind him, and then both suspects began patting his clothing and body in an apparent attempt to see if he was in possession of any valuables (a wallet, phone, jewelry, or the like). The victim did not have anything in his possession except his car key. The victim said he thought it was possible the first suspect may have been armed with a handgun, and the suspect behind him may have been armed with a knife (as he felt a sharp point in his back), though due to the darkness, he could not be certain.
When the suspects saw an unrelated person with a light approaching on the trail, one of the suspects pushed the victim to the ground and then both men fled on foot further into Byxbee Park. The victim ran back to his car, returned home, and later notified the police. The victim was not physically injured, and had no property stolen from him. Police do not know the identity of the possible witness who approached on the trail but would be interested in interviewing that person to find out what, if anything, they may have seen.
The victim described the suspects as Black male adults of unknown age wearing dark clothing. The first suspect was about 5 feet 8 inches tall and was wearing a black sweater or sweatshirt with a skull logo on it; the second suspect had a beard. The victim could not further describe the suspects, and no sketches will be forthcoming.
It should be noted that all Palo Alto open space lands, including Byxbee Park, are closed nightly from sunset to 8 a.m. There have been no similar cases 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.
