Police investigate attempted robbery at a Palo Alto parking lot
Police are investigating an attempted robbery at shopping center parking lot in Palo Alto Wednesday afternoon. Surveillance footage showed the suspects' car. (Photo Credit: Palo Alto police)
PALO ALTO, Calif. - Palo Alto police are searching for two suspects involved in an attempted robbery at a shopping center parking lot Wednesday afternoon.
Police received a call about a robbery that was happening in the parking lot of the Charleston Shopping Center in the 3900 block of Middlefield Road around 1:14 p.m, officials said.
However, police said the two suspects left the scene by the time they arrived.
Witnesses told the police that a woman approached a man in his 80s who was sitting in his car and asked for a birthday gift.
The woman then reached into his car and attempted to remove his watch from his wrist, police said.
A man in his 40s quickly intervened as the victim fought back and yelled for help, police wrote in the press release.
The woman left and got into the backseat of a nearby car driven by a male suspect, authorities said. When the Good Samaritan tried to take a photo of the license plate, the driver backed the car directly to him. The Good Samaritan stepped out of the way and avoided being struck.
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No one was physically injured from the attempted robbery and no properties were stolen, police said.
Witnesses described the suspects as being between the age of 25 to 35, and possible of Middle Eastern heritage, police said.
The woman was wearing a white top with a long black skirt while the male driver was wearing a black V-neck T-shirt and had a full black beard and mustache.
Police said the suspects' car was a black newer model Jeep Cherokee with a tinted cover over its rear license plate. The license plate was possible from Florida.
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 paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.