Palo Alto police search for home burglary suspects
PALO ALTO -- Police were searching Wednesday for a pair of suspects who may be cruising through Palo Alto neighborhoods in search of homes to burglarize.
The latest incident took place Tuesday evening in the 1400 block of Byron Street. A resident, a woman in her fifties, called the 911 dispatch center to report she was at home alone and had been notified by her home security cameras of two suspects entering her unlocked side yard gate.
She immediately yelled out "hello," and heard one of the suspects cursed before they fled.
Officers responded immediately and discovered the home's rear sliding glass door had been shattered. Police believe the burglars entered the home, but upon hearing the victim call out and learning the home was occupied, immediately fled. The victim reported nothing was missing.
The two suspects appeared to be wearing sweatshirts with the hoods up, and face masks that completely obscured their faces. They were also wearing gloves.
A neighborhood check for area surveillance cameras revealed a dark four-door sedan, possibly a Dodge Charger, leaving the area southbound on Byron Street at a high rate of speed at the time of the burglary.
Investigators are looking for any possible connection between this case and a similar residential burglary of an unoccupied home that also occurred last night on Jordan Place.
A third residential burglary on April 21st in the 1500 block of Dana Avenue may also be connected. Preliminary information suggests two suspects broke in via a window in the rear yard while the residents were not home.
Most residential burglars commit their crimes during the day, when homes are more likely to be unoccupied and the chance of a confrontation with a resident are correspondingly reduced. If you have a side yard gate, police recommend putting a lock on it to prevent easy unauthorized access to your property.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 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.