$30K in cigarettes stolen in Palo Alto delivery truck robbery
PALO ALTO – Police in Palo Alto are searching for three suspects after a crew making a delivery at a gas station was robbed of $30,000 in cigarettes Thursday morning.
Shortly after 7:35 a.m., officers were called to the Shell station on 2200 El Camino Real after a delivery employee activated an alarm.
Investigators said the crew, which consisted of a man in his 50s and a man in his 40s, were making deliveries in a 53-foot semi-trailer truck. At the gas station, the younger victim was getting paperwork signed and the older victim was in the back of the trailer when two suspects approached.
Police said that one of the suspects reached for a bulge in his waistband, warning him to stay back. The victim assumed the suspect had a weapon, but it was not seen or displayed.
The two suspects then cut the wrapping of a pallet and passed boxes of cigarettes to a third suspect waiting outside. All three suspects fled the scene with the cigarettes in an SUV, which was last seen driving westbound on College Avenue.
Police said the loss was estimated at $30,000.
The victims said the suspects were all men in their 20s, wearing dark clothing with ski masks on their faces. The vehicle is described as a newer SUV, but no additional description of the vehicle was provided.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department's dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Tips can also be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or via text or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
