2 Suspects Sought In Palo Alto Home Burglary, Vehicle Theft Spree
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) – Police in Palo Alto are seeking two people suspected in a crime spree early Monday that involved two home burglaries while people were sleeping inside and a stolen vehicle.
Officers said two people forced entry into a garage at a home on the 700 block of Gailen Avenue around 2:40 a.m. and stole two bicycles. The suspects did not enter the residential part of the home and the victims did not know the theft occurred until they awoke to find their bikes were missing.
The stolen bicycles are a men's black Gary Fischer Marlin mountain bike and a women's Marin Kentfield CS1 bike that is black and teal.
While police were investigating, they found a neighbor whose surveillance video showed a man that looked similar to one of the suspects entering through their unlocked side gate several minutes before the burglary. No crime was committed at the neighboring property, police said.
Soon after, police were notified about a stolen vehicle on the 3800 block on Corina Way, about a tenth of a mile from Gailen Avenue. An investigation revealed the vehicle, an Audi Q7 SUV, was stolen shortly after 3 a.m. Police said the vehicle had been parked on the street with its doors unlocked and the key had accidentally been left in the ignition.
Surveillance footage showed a light colored sedan pulling up to the vehicle, with the passenger rummaging through the SUV, before both vehicles drove away.
Later that morning, police were notified of another home burglary on the 3700 block of Nathan Way, not far from the other two crime scenes. Police said one of the suspects entered the home through an unlocked side gate and stole the resident's purse from their kitchen table. Like the other burglary, the residents did not know about the burglary until they awoke.
Police said a suspect attempted to use credit cards that were in the purse at a convenience store in San Jose around 4:45 that morning.
During their investigation of the burglary, police found the stolen SUV, which was returned to the victim.
According to surveillance video from the first burglary, one of the suspects was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and a face covering. Meanwhile, the second suspect was wearing a lighter colored shirt and cap. The suspect also appears to have either a mark or a tattoo on the right side of his neck.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to contact police at 650-329-2413. Tips can also be given anonymously via email at paloalto@tipnow.org or via text or voicemail at 650-383-8984.