Teen Robbed, Punched In Downtown Palo Alto: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — A 17-year-old boy was robbed at gunpoint Saturday night in downtown Pal Alto and the suspects are at large, police said Monday morning. The armed robbery happened at about 10:45 p.m. at the corner of Lytton Avenue and Kipling Street, said Palo Alto police Sgt. Brian Philip. The teen called police about 30 minutes later and reported that he'd been walking eastbound on Lytton, talking on his cellphone, and had just reached the corner at Kipling when three Hispanic men in their 20s approached him and demanded his phone.

"When the victim refused, the primary suspect asked another to give him a gun," Philip said. "That suspect passed a small black semiautomatic handgun to the primary suspect, who pointed the gun at the victim and ordered him to get on the ground. The victim refused, so the primary suspect punched the victim in the head."

The victim — who suffered a small abrasion to head from the punch — complied. The suspects then went through his pockets, ultimately taking the teen's cellphone and cash, Philip said.

A fourth person was waiting in a black four-door sedan and drove the trio away from the scene, heading southbound on Kipling toward University, the sergeant said.

The victim described the primary suspect as being 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, wearing a black zippered hooded sweatshirt over a white shirt. The suspect had long hair and was wearing a red “Polo” brand cap, Philip said.

The victim described the second suspect — the one who handed over the weapon to the primary suspect — as being 5 feet 7 inches tall, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. He had a short “fade” haircut.

"The victim could not describe the third suspect any further," Philip said. "The victim did not see who was driving the suspect vehicle."

If the victim is able to work with a police artist to produce a sketch of at least the primary suspect, police will release it as soon as it becomes available, Philip said.

Detectives are actively investigating the incident; anyone with information is asked 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 voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through PAPD's mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

Patch file photo by Maggie Avants