Elderly woman scares away home invasion suspects in Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Palo Alto police are looking for four suspects they believe broke into the home of a woman in her 70s and who ended up scaring them away. 

Police received a call about the break in just before 10 p.m. on Friday on the 3500 block of Emma Court. The suspects broke a sliding glass door and entered the home, police said.

The older woman told police she heard noises and opened her door to ask who was there. She said she heard someone say, "There's somebody in there" and three suspects with flashlights ran downstairs from another room upstairs. 

She said they left the house, got into a parked vehicle, and drove away.   

"It sounds like not only was she surprised, but they were surprised," Lt. Brian Philip said. "And upon finding each other, they went their separate ways. The three suspects escaped the house, ran back to an awaiting vehicle, and fled the area." 

Police checked neighbors' security footage and saw four suspects getting out of a car which appeared to be a black 2013 to 2016 Mercedes C-class, four-door sedan with no front license plate. The video also showed them leaving eastbound on Matadero Avenue. 

The woman described the three people in her home as less than six feet tall, with medium builds and wearing dark clothing. 

Police ask that anyone with information about the incident call their 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via voice message or text to (650) 383-8984.   

Bay City News' Tony Hicks contributed to this report.