Two masked gunmen robbed a convenience store in south Palo Alto Thursday evening, prompting a police manhunt.
The men walked into Eli's Market at 3487 El Camino Real at about 7:45 p.m., pulled out handguns and demanded money from the store clerk, police said. After the clerk gave them money from the cash register, they allegedly fled the scene on foot.
The incident was the second armed robbery in the city in two days. Police are also searching for a man who robbed an ARCO gas station on San Antonio Road Wednesday evening.
No one was injured in either robbery.
Police said the suspects in Thursday's robbery are: a white or Hispanic man in his 30s, 6 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds, wearing all black and a black mask; and a black man approximately 30 years old and also 6 feet tall and weighing about 150 pounds wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans with a red design down both sides, a black mask and black shoes.
Officers with K-9 police dogs searched for the suspects throughout the Ventura neighborhood Thursday evening but could not locate them.
Anyone with information about the robbery can email or text the Palo Alto Police Department to paloalto@tipnow.org.
Comments
another community
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:04 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:04 am
All the criminals now days are wearing Black Hooded Sweatshirts. Almost every story on PA online describes the suspects as wearing Black Hooded Sweatshirts. Do the police not see that trend? They should be checking anyone fitting this clothing description.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:16 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:16 am
The trend in armed robberies is a sure sign that guns are too easy to get hold of.
Most illegal guns start off as legal guns, legally owned. It is time to tighten up the gun laws.
East Palo Alto
on Jun 10, 2011 at 9:41 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 9:41 am
@me
really targeting people who wear black hoodies?
whats next people who wear blue jeans?
College Terrace
on Jun 10, 2011 at 10:33 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 10:33 am
I didn't know there are still ARCO stations. I also never realized it is an acronym.
Palo Verde
on Jun 10, 2011 at 10:40 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 10:40 am
The trend in armed robberies is a sure sign that it is too easy to get out of jail.
Most armed robbers start off as petty thieves, are caught and released several times. It is time to tighten up the gun laws, making armed robbery a capital offense.
Mountain View
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:20 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:20 am
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Charleston Gardens
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:23 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:23 am
Holy Crow...I was at that Arco station that night at 8:30ish that night, and saw a guy walk up toward the pumps from the direction of Cubberly who just looked too intense, and he had no car...gave me the creeps. Nothing specific, just a feeling. I seem to remember this guy was wearing a hooded black jacket, but not sweat jacket, more a squared off type jacket. Probably not the same guy...
I peeled out of there thinking I'm probably paranoid, but I'm sure glad I'm done pumping my gas! That poor attendant has been robbed before. Gotta be scary. People suck.
College Terrace
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:28 am
on Jun 10, 2011 at 11:28 am
Zuckerberg made hooded sweatshirts trendy in Palo Alto.
Charleston Gardens
on Jun 10, 2011 at 2:43 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Cold nights make hoody's trendy. Useful too!
Greenmeadow
on Jun 10, 2011 at 3:41 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 3:41 pm
So it's the GUN's fault that these crimes occur? Seriously??
Old Palo Alto
on Jun 10, 2011 at 6:06 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Problem here is only criminals have guns in Kalifornia. It's too hard for Law abiding citizens to get a Concealed Carry Permit. If the employee had been armed the assailants would of thought twice before robbing the ARCO
another community
on Jun 10, 2011 at 7:06 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 7:06 pm
I left California and Palo Alto to move to a place more liberal and free, I can buy a gun downtown and be playing with it it in less then 10 minutes (no waiting period) Everyone packs heat, and robberies don't happen. Gun control is a fools response to this situation, get rid of the thug not the firearms. Lets cure society of this illness, rather then hiding the rampant diarrhea of BS with the biggest social bandage or imodium to the issue- "GUN CONTROL"...
Only GUN CONTROL I practice is hitting the thugs dead center.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 10, 2011 at 7:22 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 7:22 pm
There's the proof. It is too easy for someone to get a gun elsewhere and bring it here. If there were not so many guns in private possession then it would be much harder for the bad guys to get hold of them. Someone can easily buy a gun legally elsewhere and then sell it here without any controls and it is much easier to steal guns when there are a lot of badly looked after weapons ready to be taken by family and even used by children.
Gun control would take many of the means of the bad guys getting hold of guns away.
another community
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:05 pm
on Jun 10, 2011 at 8:05 pm
And sacrifice personal freedoms, I like living in a society where my community has more firepower then the local government agencies in the area.
Old Palo Alto
on Jun 11, 2011 at 10:30 am
on Jun 11, 2011 at 10:30 am
^THIS.
Fairmeadow
on Jun 11, 2011 at 1:11 pm
on Jun 11, 2011 at 1:11 pm
"Posted by HUTCH 7.62, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, 19 hours ago
Problem here is only criminals have guns in Kalifornia. It's too hard for Law abiding citizens to get a Concealed Carry Permit. If the employee had been armed the assailants would of thought twice before robbing the ARCO"
YOU ARE CORRECT!!! I'm glad there is someone on this forum who has some common sense.
Green Acres
on Jun 12, 2011 at 10:33 am
on Jun 12, 2011 at 10:33 am
It will only be a matter of time before these desperados are caught as they will brag of their conquest~ rather probably COMPLAIN because their "bootie" was so small. Someone will rat them off.
I can't imagine the "take" that they received from such a small store was all that much~ they will complain how "wrong" it was when they are sitting in the prison cell with the BIG BOYS......