Luxury store’s guard thwarts gang of would-be thieves
An attempted theft at a Louis Vuitton store at the Stanford Shopping Center by a mob of would-be robbers was stopped by an armed security guard on July 12, Palo Alto police said.
An estimated 10 to 12 people wearing hooded jackets, face masks and gloves arrived in five cars parked near the Pacific Catch restaurant and ran into the mall at about 1:24 p.m., police Sgt. Nicolas Martinez said.
Employees saw the crowd coming, and an armed security guard inside Louis Vuitton prevented the first two, who were females, from entering the luxury goods store by holding his arms out and blocking their entry. One of the females ran into his arms, but there was no other physical confrontation, Martinez said.
The security guard saw the other people coming behind the first two and closed and locked the door. The thwarted group immediately ran back to their cars and fled. No weapons were seen and no one was injured. Police think they intended to commit organized retail theft, a felony, Martinez said. Louis Vuitton sells high-end handbags, leather goods and fashion accessories.
“We have no information at this time indicating that this group committed any other crimes in Palo Alto or any other cities, for that matter” on July 12, he said.
The people were both male and female, and witnesses reported they were “teens or young adults.” Their vehicles were described as a red Infiniti, white Infiniti, gray Infiniti, gray Dodge Charger, and a black Porsche Cayenne. Police did not locate any of the five vehicles, which were last seen traveling east on Sand Hill Road toward El Camino Real. The investigation is continuing, Martinez said.
Teen runaways arrested following car chase
Palo Alto police arrested four youths who fled police in a stolen car on July 13. The juveniles ran away from a group home in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 8, and the car they were in had been reported stolen from Nye County, Nevada, police said.
A patrol officer attempted to conduct a stop on a silver 2017 Kia Rio sedan for a moving violation at about 2:06 a.m. The driver pulled into the cul-de-sac near the intersection of Ross Road and Nathan Way and initially stopped. But as the officer pulled the patrol car behind the Kia, the driver attempted to make a U-turn to escape and collided with the front of the patrol car.
The officer pursued the car as it fled down Ross Road to East Meadow Drive and turned west. The driver attempted to make a right turn to head north on Alma Street but struck a signal pole and a raised curb near the intersection. The collision disabled the car and set off the airbags, police said. Officers took the four occupants into custody without incident.
The female driver and one of the three male passengers were treated by the Palo Alto Fire Department and taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. The Kia sustained major damage as a result of the collision on Alma. The patrol car struck by the Kia had minor damage to its front end. No officers were injured, police said.
Officers arrested the 15-year-old female driver for felony assault with a deadly weapon for striking the officer’s car, felony evading, and felony possession of stolen property. The three male passengers — two 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old — were arrested for felony possession of stolen property for being in the stolen car.
Police transported all four youths to the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. No additional information is available since they are minors, police said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police 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.
-Sue Dremann
Thief hurls cash register, takes $300 at Home Depot
A 46-year-old man was arrested Saturday, July 15, in connection with the robbery of a Home Depot in East Palo Alto, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said.
A man broke open a register by throwing it to the floor and made off with about $300, the sheriff’s office said.
The East Palo Alto Police Department sent other agencies a description of the suspect and his vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Automated license-plate readers alerted deputies that the vehicle was in Millbrae, and deputies stopped a car on El Camino Real about 4:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
A man in the car, a Nevada resident, was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office said. A woman in the car with him was released.
-Bay City News Service
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