Police Identify Suspects in Theft from Auto Case Where Shot Was Fired
Published on March 24, 2022
Palo Alto, CA – Police have identified four suspects responsible for an overnight theft from auto case in late January, where one of the suspects fired a handgun at a resident after he interrupted the crime.
On Saturday, January 29, 2022, at about 11:58 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of a shot fired during an interrupted theft from auto that had just occurred in the 3600 block of South Court. The caller advised that the suspects fled in a vehicle, and that he had not been hit. Officers responded to the area immediately (as did personnel from the Palo Alto Fire Department as a precautionary measure) but could not locate the suspects. Police located three unlocked vehicles that had been opened and rummaged through. For more details about what happened, as well as information on other similar cases that occurred the same night in the 700 block of Talisman Court, read the news release we distributed on January 30.
Detectives conducted extensive follow-up investigation on the case and were eventually able to identify the suspects, three of whom are juveniles. While detectives were able to place the suspects at the scene committing the crimes and to develop information to support charging the four with petty theft from auto and conspiracy, the investigation into which of the suspects was in possession of the firearm and fired the shot remains ongoing. The firearm used in the case has not yet been recovered.
Detectives also identified the vehicle used in this case as a stolen red 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was located unoccupied in Morgan Hill around 10:00 a.m. on January 30 (after having been stolen in San Jose on January 29 before the Palo Alto crimes). Inside the vehicle, police located property that had been stolen from an unlocked vehicle on Alma Street in Palo Alto near the time of the shooting.
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, detectives arrested one of the suspects, a 15-year-old male from San Jose who was the driver of the vehicle, for conspiracy, possession of stolen vehicle, and accessory to assault with a deadly weapon (all felonies), as well as petty theft (a misdemeanor). At the time of the arrest, he was in custody at the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on an unrelated offense. Police cannot locate the two additional juvenile suspects (another 15-year-old male and a 17-year-old male, both from San Jose), and are requesting charges on both of them for conspiracy (a felony) and petty theft (a misdemeanor). The fourth suspect is an 18-year-old male from San Jose, and detectives are requesting the District Attorney’s Office to review the case against him for appropriate charges (which could include conspiracy, possession of stolen vehicle, accessory to assault with a deadly weapon, and petty theft). As no arrest has yet been made on the adult, police are not identifying him by name. Once he has been arrested, police will release his name to the public.
Mothers Against Murder, a local non-profit charitable organization, has offered a $20,000 reward in the case. That reward remains unclaimed and is still available, should someone provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect responsible for the shooting itself. For more information about Mothers Against Murder, visit their website at www.mothersagainstmurder.org or call (650) 285-9221.
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.