Palo Alto police have arrested a man who attacked and robbed a bicyclist on an East Bayshore Road bike trail Thursday, April 24.
At about 9:39 a.m., police received a call about a fight in progress on the bike trail in the 3500 block of East Bayshore Road. As officers responded, a witness said a man had fled on foot; police detained him without incident in the 3800 block of East Bayshore at about 9:44 a.m.
The ensuing investigation revealed that the man, 46-year-old Roberto Navarro, was walking northbound on the bike trail when he pulled a man in his fifties, biking in the opposite direction, off his bike and onto the ground. Police said Navarro punched the bicyclist in the arms several times and then kicked him in the lower body and once in the head. He also stole the bicyclist’s cell phone and then walked away on the bike trail.
Two passersby stopped to help the bicyclist and stopped a passing motorist for help, police said. The motorist called 9-1-1 and kept Navarro “under observation” until officers arrived, police said.
The bicyclist sustained moderate injuries to one of his feet and abrasions on one of his hands. Palo Alto Fire Department personnel treated him on the scene and released him. Police found the stolen cell phone in Navarro’s pocket upon arrest and returned it to its owner.
Police booked Navarro, who they said has no permanent residence, into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony robbery and misdemeanor assault and battery.
Detectives do not believe this suspect is connected to any other crimes in Palo Alto, and are investigating to see if he is connected to crimes in any surrounding communities. Anyone with information about this incident or this suspect is asked to call the 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.
> Police booked Navarro, who they said has no permanent residence
Since this fellow has no permanent residence–then that probably means he has no driver’s license, and no evidence of citizenship–leaving one wondering if this is even his real name.
Does this fellow show up in a police records check? Given his likely homelessness–then just how far will the police look in order to establish his real identity?
Also got to wonder if the students at the PAUSD will be protesting his picture being posted on the police department’s social networking outlets?
Must be more to the story of just another mental illegal alien. Funny how the terrorist card fails to guard the borders, but that terror card sure works to take oil in the middle east…wait…Mexico has oil!!! I see the light!
In spite of the ACLU’s best efforts, California law allows collection of DNA samples from anyone arrested on a felony, even if criminal charges are never pressed. But I don’t know how diligent they are about this down at the County Jail. DNA is pretty specific regarding real identity, insofar as anyone with more than one arrest or who has left such evidence at earlier crime scenes.
Do police think this guy had been camped out in the Baylands? this concerns me since I like to walk out there like other local residents. If he was on foot, how did he arrive at that location (I guess that is my question) Did he hitch a ride with someone? Depart from an area shelter for the homeless?
Is that a Stanford t-shirt? Possibly a Stanford grad here.
I just think it’s funny that a simple statement in the article, “has no permanent residence” immediately leads some people to leap to the conclusion the man has no ID, his name is fake, he is an illegal alien, and DNA is needed to truly know who this guy is. Next is how unfair that DNA can be collected, and I really have no idea where the “terrorist card” came from.
All I see is a homeless guy that will now get hot meal and a warm place to sleep. Smart enough to be a Stanford grad!