Peninsula Burglary Suspect Caught In Act But Remains At Large: PD

PALO ALTO, CA – A Palo Alto woman returned to her apartment Saturday to find a burglar inside, police said. The suspect, who reportedly shoved the resident before escaping on foot with jewelry and money, remained at large Tuesday afternoon, Palo Alto Police Department Spokeswoman Janine De la Vega said in a news release.

Officers responded immediately after the resident called police at 9:22 a.m. Saturday to report the burglary in progress at her apartment in the 300 block of Curtner Avenue, an area bordered by Park Boulevard and El Camino Real. The victim of the alleged burglary, a woman in her 40s, told police she left her apartment at around 8:50 a.m. to run an errand. When she got home 30 minutes later, she found her front door unlocked and an interior light on, De la Vega said.

"As she entered, she noticed her belongings had been rummaged through and saw a man she did not recognize in her home," De la Vega said. "The suspect looked surprised to see her, and then pushed her into a wall causing her to fall as he fled on foot."

The victim suffered minor injuries to her arm from the suspect pushing her, but did not require medical treatment.

The suspect was described by the victim as a clean-shaven white man in his 20s with dark brown hair who appeared to be about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weigh about 160 pounds. He was wearing gloves, a gray long-sleeved sweatshirt and black pants.

A search of the area was conducted with the assistance of K-9 units from the Atherton Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office but the suspect was not located.

Police asked anyone with information about the incident to call PAPD's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's mobile app, downloadable at PAPD-AppStore or PAPD-GooglePlay.

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