Burglars foiled by alert friend in Menlo auto repair garage Burglars foiled by alert friend in Menlo auto repair garage (November 17, 2004)

Police are still looking for three suspects in a November 7 burglary and grand theft of Planet Auto Repair on El Camino Real in Menlo Park.

One of the suspects should have a wound in his leg where Earnest -- a Planet employee's friend who would not give his last name -- stabbed him with a screwdriver as he tried to escape over a 10-foot fence while carrying a motor scooter. Earnest was working on his own vehicle when the incident took place at about 9:30 p.m.

Before attempting to flee, the thief scuffled with Earnest. "He kept on trying to hit me," Earnest told the Almanac. "It wasn't that bad. I kept on ducking."

Earnest had heard a noise and found two men in the rear yard of the garage, one of whom was tossing over the fence old catalytic converters (which contain platinum and palladium). That man climbed the fence and fell on the other side, hitting his head and losing consciousness, said Sgt. Van Trask of the Menlo Park Police Department.

The second thief -- who'd been stabbed -- dropped the scooter, but made it over the fence. He and a third man dragged the unconscious man to a vehicle and fled, police said.

Police described the suspects as Hispanic males, 18 to 30 years old and of medium height and weight. The suspect's vehicle was a two-tone white and yellow Chevrolet van with a green stripe around it.

Anyone with information should call Officer Ron Sfarzo at 330-6376.

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