By Khalida Sarwari
Palo Alto police are reminding residents to be aware of their surroundings, especially when walking in the dark, following a pair of attempted robberies in the city Tuesday night.
The first attempted robbery occurred around 9:30 p.m. in the 700 block of Talisman Court, police said.
A man in his 30s was approached in his garage by a man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.
The man pointed a gun at the victim as he was exiting his car and demanded money, police said. The men got into a brief scuffle after which the gunman ran away without taking anything, according to police. The victim was not harmed.
The suspect was described as a black man between 18 and 22 years old, with a slim build.
The second attempted robbery occurred at about 10:05 p.m. in the 900 block of University Avenue, police said.
Three men approached the victim, also a man in his 30s, as he was walking east on University Avenue. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at him and demanded money.
As in the earlier incident, a fight ensued between the victim and suspects, and the suspects ran away towards Hamilton Avenue, police said.
The victim sustained minor facial injuries, but his property was found at the scene, police said.
The first suspect was described as possibly an Asian man in his 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants and had a handgun.
The second suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a large build. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Little information was given about the third suspect, other than that he had a slim build.
Palo Alto police are investigating the robbery attempts and have not yet determined if they are connected.
Residents are advised to avoid walking in dark areas, and if that isn’t possible, to walk with another person. If confronted with an armed robbery, police say it is safer to comply with the suspect’s demands rather than risk being harmed over property that can usually be replaced.
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call the Police Department at (650) 329-2413.
Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org, and anonymous voicemails and text messages can be left at (650) 383-8984.