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Three boys were arrested in connection with the strong-arm robbery of a woman at Stanford Shopping Center on Monday night, resulting in injuries that left her hospitalized, Palo Alto police said.
Officers responding to a call on Dec. 21 at about 8:20 p.m. found an injured woman in her 60s in a parking garage at 180 El Camino Real with moderate injuries to her head and one knee, according to a press release. The woman described to police the moments before the alleged attack. She exited her vehicle to shop at the mall when three boys emerged from two cars and approached her.
The boys allegedly attempted to yank the woman’s purse off her shoulder. When she attempted to hold onto her purse, one of the boys allegedly punched her repeatedly in the back of the head. She fell to the ground, at which point the same boy stomped on one of her knees. The woman then let go of her purse and the boys fled, police said.
The woman gave police descriptions of the robbers and of one of the cars, a white 2016 Mazda6 four-door sedan. Palo Alto Fire Department paramedics transported her to a hospital.
Shortly thereafter, an officer spotted the Mazda6 with three people inside heading east on Hamilton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. The officer attempted to stop the car, but the driver accelerated at high speeds. The officer lost sight of the sedan, but another officer spotted it again a short time later driving east on Oregon Expressway near U.S. Highway 101.
The second officer also attempted to stop the car, but the driver accelerated at high speeds and drove onto northbound Highway 101. Police pursued the car until it eventually stopped on O’Brien Drive near Kavanaugh Drive in Menlo Park. Officers took all three boys into custody without further incident at about 8:35 p.m., police said.
Police found evidence from the robbery in Palo Alto at about 9:44 p.m. A resident in the 800 block of Lincoln Avenue found personal property dumped in front of their house. The items included credit cards in the woman’s name, which had been inside the stolen purse.
Police also found that the car the boys occupied was reported stolen in Oakland on Saturday, Dec. 19. The car was eventually returned to the owner, police said.
The boys were transported by police to Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. The driver of the stolen car and one of the passengers are both 12-year-old Oakland residents who initially lied to officers about their identities, police said. The other passenger was a 14-year-old Oakland resident.
The three boys were arrested on suspicion of robbery, battery and conspiracy to commit a crime. Two 12-year-olds were also arrested for allegedly providing false information to police; one of them was additionally arrested for allegedly evading police and vehicle theft.
Booking photos and identifying information about the boys won’t be released because they are underage, police said.
Investigators are looking into whether the boys are linked to crimes in other cities. No other recent robberies in Palo Alto were committed by juveniles, police said. Officers are also investigating the presence of the second vehicle, mentioned by the woman and a witness. The second car is described as a dark-colored four-door sedan.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the police’s free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
Children?!? How about juvenile delinquents or young toughs?