Woman Pepper-Sprayed In Face By Jewelry Robbers In Alley In Nearby Palo Alto: Police

PALO ALTO, CA – Police are looking for two men who allegedly pepper-sprayed a woman in the face and stole her jewelry in an alley in downtown Palo Alto on Halloween evening.

Officers responded shortly after 7 p.m. Monday to a reported armed robbery that had just occurred in the 300 block of Lane 20 East, an alley just north of University Avenue between Florence and Waverley streets, police
said.

Arriving officers were unable to find any suspects at the scene.

The victim was a woman in her 40s walking west on the alley who saw two men heading in her direction, police said.

One of the suspects sprayed the woman's face with pepper spray that temporarily blurred her vision, the department said. One of the men then snatched the woman's necklace that was hanging from her neck and yanked spiral hoop earrings from her ears, then ran away with the other suspect, police said.

Once the woman's vision cleared, she went to a nearby store and called 911. She complained of pain to her face, eyes and neck area, but wasn't hospitalized, according to police.

The suspects were described as Hispanic men in their early 20s with thin builds standing between 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall.

They wore black pants and black hooded sweatshirts with the hoods pulled over their heads, and one of the suspects wore a black baseball cap, police said.

No sketch of the suspects is available or anticipated, police said, adding that no similar street robberieswere reported recently in Palo Alto.

Anyone with information about the robbery 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 voicemail to (650) 383-8984.

ALSO SEE:

• Kidnap Attempt Of Child On Halloween Reported On Peninsula
• Body Found At Carmel Construction Site ID'd As Missing Santa Cruz Co. Woman

--Bay City News contributed to this report/Shutterstock image