Man sought after woman's purse snatched at Palo Alto mall
PALO ALTO (BCN) -- A man robbed a woman of her purse outside Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto and took off in a waiting car Monday evening, police said.
Officers responded to a report of a strong-arm robbery in the parking lot near the Nordstrom department store near Sand Hill and Arboretum roads around 2:30 p.m., police said.
Arriving officers were unable to find the suspects, according to police.
An investigation showed that a woman in her 60s was near the trunk of her car parked on the store's east side, where the suspect came from her right and forcibly snatched her purse from her shoulder, police said.
The suspect then fled in a waiting car where someone else drove away east on Sand Hill Road, according to police.
The woman was transported to a hospital as a precaution for shoulder pain and light-headedness, police said.
The suspect was described as a man who was about 5 feet 7 inches tall in a hooded sweatshirt and pants, police said.
The suspect vehicle was a red or maroon newer-model four-door sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry, according to police.
In response to Monday's robbery, officers are heightening patrols in the area where there have been no similar crimes reported recently, police said.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police dispatch at (650) 329-2413. Those who wish to remain anonymous may send an email to paloalto@tipnow.org or send a text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.