Police arrested a man Monday afternoon after he battered and robbed another man.
On Monday, September 9, 2024, at about 3:20 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting two men fighting on the 300 block of University Avenue. Officers responded and located a man with injuries to his face, who reported that another man had just attacked him during a robbery. A short time later, officers located the suspect on foot in the area of the Downtown Transit Center and, ultimately, detained him near the intersection of El Camino Real and Quarry Road.
The investigation revealed that, at about 3:15 p.m., the victim, a male in his thirties, was standing outside of the CVS store located at 352 University Avenue when he was approached by a man he did not know. The man demanded the victim’s money and mobile phone. When the victim refused, the suspect grabbed the victim’s hat from his head and ran into the store. The victim followed the suspect through the store in an attempt to retrieve his hat. The victim caught up to the suspect as he was exiting the store’s back door, and the suspect punched and kicked the victim several times in the face. As the victim attempted to fight off the suspect, the suspect removed a knife from a sheath on the victim’s belt and attempted to slash the victim with it. The victim was able to back away and the suspect ran back through CVS toward University Avenue.
The victim sustained minor injuries to his face and was treated on scene by Palo Alto Fire Department personnel.
Police booked 39-year-old Cesar Pineda of San Jose into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon (both felonies). His booking photo is available at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Arrest-Suspect-for-Downtown-Assault-Robbery
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.
To read this release on the City's website, click here: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Arrest-Suspect-for-Downtown-Assault-Robbery
