M-A students arrested after robbery of schoolmates M-A students arrested after robbery of schoolmates (September 21, 2005)

Two Menlo-Atherton students accused of robbing three fellow students of their wallets in an M-A restroom on Friday, September 9, have been arrested and charged with strong-arm robbery, said M-A school resources officer Sgt. Mike Guerra of the Atherton Police Department.

The assailants, both boys and both Menlo Park residents, were taken to Hillcrest juvenile facility in San Mateo on Friday, September 16, where authorities will determine whether to hold them or release them to their parents until their appointment with a judge. Police are looking for a possible third assailant, said Sgt. Guerra.

The victims, all boys, live in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. None of the students involved were seniors. There were no injuries or threats and nothing was taken from the victims but cash.

Race was not a factor in the incidents, though size appears to have been, police said. "Certainly, they were not picking on people of equal size," said Sgt. Guerra. The victims did not report the incidents until after arriving home, probably because they were intimidated, he said.

Strong-arm robbery is an expellable offense under state law and expulsion procedures have begun against the assailants, police said. If expelled, the boys will not be able to return to the Sequoia Union High School District.

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