Attempted Burglary Suspect Arrested After Foot Chase In Nearby Palo Alto

A man who allegedly attempted to burglarize a home in Palo Alto was arrested after a brief chase and struggle near a Caltrain station Friday morning, police said.

Franklin Hollis Lovell, 27, was arrested on suspicion of attempted residential burglary, prowling and resisting arrest, police said.

Around 9:45 a.m., officers responded to a report from a resident in the 100 block of Rinconada Avenue of an unfamiliar man who had entered her home then ran away, according to police. The resident said her husband followed the suspect, later identified as Lovell, and took photos of him with his cellphone, police said. Her husband saw the suspect jump over a fence into the backyard of another home and flee, according to police.

Arriving officers met with the couple and reviewed the cellphone photos, which were sent out to other patrol officers, police said. About 20 minutes later, an officer on the platform of Caltrain’s California Avenue station, located at 101 California Ave., saw a man who matched the suspect description in the attempted burglary and tried to detain him, police said.

Lovell allegedly did not follow the officer’s commands and jumped over a fence, according to police. The officer chased after the suspect and became involved in a physical struggle with him, police said. Lovell allegedly pushed the officer away and continued to run, according to police.

The officer caught up with the suspect at a water fountain at California Avenue and Park Boulevard just a block away from the Caltrain station, police said.

The officer used a Taser on the suspect and took Lovell into custody, according to police. Investigators determined Lovell was allegedly prowling through the backyard at the Rinconada Avenue home where he tried to enter the residence through a locked door on the side yard, police said.

Emergency crews transported Lovell to a hospital to be checked under standard procedure in the event a Taser is used, according to police.

The suspect and the officer suffered minor injuries in the scuffle, police said. Once Lovell was medically cleared, he was taken to county jail where he is being held without bail, according to police.

Investigators do not know if Lovell is connected with other crimes in the city including a prowling incident in the 1000 block of Moffett Circle on Wednesday night, police said. That story here: Palo Alto PD Seeking Backyard Prowler.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413.

--Bay City News