Thanks to a prompt call from a witness, police responded to a report of an auto burglary in progress on Thursday morning and arrested the suspect nearby.
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, at about 8:58 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a possible auto burglary in progress. A witness had first noticed the suspect as she was yelling in the area, and later saw her seated in a car that the witness did not believe was hers. Officers responded immediately and observed the suspect seated inside a white 2020 Ford Escape in the 900 block of High Street. The suspect got out and walked away, and police contacted her without incident. Officers found pry marks on the car, indicating that entry into it had been forced.
The investigation revealed that the suspect had used a key as a pry tool to damage and force open the door on the locked Escape and enter the vehicle. Police located a wallet belonging to a man inside the suspect’s jacket pocket, and soon determined that the suspect had stolen the wallet from inside the Escape. Police contacted the owner of the Escape, a man in his fifties, and confirmed the wallet was his. Officers returned the wallet.
Police booked the suspect, 42-year-old Ammiel Elisabeth Lawson of Morgan Hill, into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for auto burglary (a felony) and possession of burglary tools (a misdemeanor, for possessing the key she used to force entry into the Escape). Her booking photo is available at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Arrest-Woman-for-Auto-Burglary.
As of this writing, police do not have evidence that this suspect is connected to any other auto burglaries. Detectives are continuing to investigate.
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.
