A man attempted to rob a cashier at a Palo Alto gas station on Saturday evening, but fled on foot when the cashier refused to cooperate. There were no injuries and the would-be robber is at large, according to a Palo Alto Police statement.
When officers responded to an alarm at about 6:50 p.m. on Feb. 15 from the 76 station at 835 San Antonio Road, they learned that an armed robbery attempt had just occurred and that the man had fled the area on foot. Officers checked the area, with the assistance of a canine unit from the Los Altos Police Department, but were unable to locate the gunman.
The man had entered the gas station and handed money over to buy cigarettes, the police reported. When the cashier opened the cash register to make change, the man partially removed a handgun from his waistband and demanded money. The cashier immediately closed the register without giving any money. The man walked out and fled northbound on East Charleston Road towards Fabian Way, according to the police.
The cashier described the gunman as a black male in his 30s or 40s with a “skinny” build. He was about 5 feet 5 inches tall, clean-shaven and appeared to be wearing a wig with curly hair that hung to the shoulders. He was wearing a black buttoned-up parka jacket and faded dark pants. He had a black hat with white lettering on it. The gun was a dark-colored semi-automatic handgun.
The last gas station robbery in Palo Alto occurred at the Shell Gas Station on Embarcadero Road near U.S. Highway 101 on July 2. Police are asking that anyone with information about this incident call the 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.
— Palo Alto Weekly staff
— Palo Alto Weekly staff
— Palo Alto Weekly staff
do we believe the police description of what happened? considering they lie on police reports routinely ,who are we to believe? if you lie on a police report and it is given to a judge you have commited perjury. whether you believe it or not,police do in fact falsify reports and present them as facts. maybe this guy knows that and has seen pure white looking americans not get arrested for things a non pure white person would. he might be in revenge mode. solution? do not lie to god. and you wont have home invasions and other events not to your liking. dont falsify events to criminalize based on police prejudice. why is it so difficult for police to tell truth? can show you a police report that is false because no proof of anything happened ,just hearsay by blond white american. prejudiced against blonds…. nope…my aunt was blond. so dont drop the ”hate all white people card” .you are creating these crimes with your belief that police are beyond reproach.
So the guy with the handgun never got his change?
To the 76 employee: please, next time, give over the money. We don’t want you dead.