Palo Alto Robbery Suspect Arrested

PALO ALTO, CA – A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of using a replica gun in the robbery of a Palo Alto mall store over the weekend, police said.

Russell Adams Young was arrested on suspicion of robbery and making criminal threats among other charges, police said.

The report of a man with a gun at Stanford Shopping Center at around 6:45 p.m. followed Young allegedly pulling a gun on employees at the Timberland store after his credit card was declined on a $600 payment and threatening “that he would shoot them in their heads,” police said.

Responding officers said Young was in possession of a second realistic-looking replica handgun in its original packaging. Officers also found a credit card, prescription medication, and personal documents all belonging to other people among his possessions.

During a follow-up investigation police said they learned that earlier in the day Young stole two replica handguns from a Big 5 Sporting Goods at 700 El Camino Real in Menlo Park after that transaction was declined multiple times.

Young, who has no permanent address, was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for two felony charges (robbery and making criminal threats) and two misdemeanor charges (possession of stolen property and possession of medication without a prescription).

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the PAPD’s free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.