Man with suspected meth shatters Palo Alto downtown windows, throws rocks at people

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Palo Alto police arrested a man who allegedly had methamphetamine in his pocket when he went on a downtown vandalism spree Thursday morning, shattering front windows of three businesses.   

At 10:54 a.m. Thursday, police received reports of a man screaming and kicking storefronts in the 500 block of Emerson Street.     

As officers responded, dispatch received additional calls saying the man just smashed the front windows of Bare Bowls at 530 Emerson Street and Kitchen Nail Bar at 540 Emerson Street with rocks.     

Callers also reported the man, later identified as 41-year-old Sheik Riaz Ali of East Palo Alto, was also throwing rocks at people on the street.   

An officer found Ali at 10:59 a.m. on Lytton Avenue at High Street and attempted to detain him, but Ali fled on foot to the Palo Alto Transit Center at 95 University Ave. Officers gave chase and saw him board a bus. Police told the driver to have all passengers exit the bus while they awaited the arrival of additional units, but Ali used an emergency window exit and jumped out of the rear end of the bus and tried to flee again.     

Police caught him and. after a brief struggle, took Ali into custody at 11:04 a.m. They found what they believed to be methamphetamine in his pocket.    

One officer sustained minor injuries during the struggle. Paramedics treated the officer for abrasions to the face and forearm and pain to the lower back at the scene and released the officer at the scene. Ali was not injured, police said.   

The investigation revealed Ali allegedly broke the front windows of three businesses: Bare Bowls, Kitchen Nail Bar and HE&C Tea + Pot at 544 Emerson Street. The damage at all three locations was estimated to be more than $500. No members of the public were injured.   

Police booked Ali into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, resisting an officer using force, resisting/delaying an officer, and possession of methamphetamine.   

Anyone with information about the incident can call Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.