Police arrested a suspect for attempted robbery of a cell phone at the bus depot that occurred on Wednesday morning. The juvenile victim suffered minor injuries, and the suspect was booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at about 7:00 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a juvenile male reporting an attempted robbery that had just occurred on the bus platform located at 95 University Avenue. Palo Alto Police Officers responded immediately and located the suspect. The suspect ignored officer’s orders and fled on foot. The officer was able to catch up to the suspect at which point the suspect took a fighting stance. The suspect continued to ignore the officer’s orders and challenged the officer to fight. The officer deployed their TASER, activated it, and the suspect was taken into custody. The suspect was taken to a local hospital for a medical clearance, as is standard for all TASER applications. The suspect did not complain of any injuries from the arrest, the suspect told police that he was recently released from the hospital for injuries sustained in another jurisdiction. The suspect was medically cleared and transported to the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
The investigation revealed that the victim, a high school aged male, was sitting at the bus depot watching his cell phone. The suspect approached the victim and demanded the cell phone. The juvenile refused to give the suspect the phone. The suspect then put a blanket over the victim’s head and struck the victim in the head with his fist. The juvenile was able to remove the blanket and ran from the area and called police. The victim complained of pain to his head. Paramedics from the Palo Alto Fire Department treated the victim at the scene.
The suspect arrested is 60-year-old Roderick Henry Perkins of East Palo Alto. Perkins was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for attempted robbery, child abuse (both felonies), providing false information to police (suspect provided a fake name) and resisting arrest (both misdemeanors).
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984, or submitted using the “TipNow-Palo Alto” app, which is available via the App Store or Google Play.
To read this release on the city's website click here: https://www.paloalto.gov/News-Articles/Police-Department/Police-Arrest-Suspect-for-Attempted-Robbery-at-Bus-Depot
