A hefty $20,000 reward has been put forward by the non-profit group Mothers Against Murder for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in an armed robbery at a Taco Bell in Palo Alto last December, authorities say.
The simple task of closing up shop turned sour for a Taco Bell employee when a gunman entered the establishment at approximately 12:46 a.m. on December 20, demanding money, the Palo Alto Police Department reported. The young man complied, walking towards the back to get more cash but instead ran for it, escaping potential danger. As reported by Hoodline, the employee was unscathed, and the robber fled the scene in a dark sedan heading towards U.S. Highway 101.
According to a news release from the City of Palo Alto, the suspect is described as a male in his late teens or early twenties, either white or Hispanic, masked with a ski mask, and speaking English. Despite immediate actions by the police and the distribution of an original news release on December 21, the identity of the gunman remains unknown.
The community-based organization Mothers Against Murder is now stepping in with the offer of a reward, appealing to those who might hold any piece of the puzzle leading to the resolution of the crime. The situation also serves as a grim reminder of the threats that service workers like this Taco Bell employee face in their line of work. No surveillance footage has been released to aid the identification of the suspect, and, detectives continue to work on the case, the City of Palo Alto's statement explained.
For those interested in aiding the investigation, tips can be communicated to the Palo Alto Police's 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Furthermore, anonymous information can be emailed to [email protected] or sent as text messages or voice mails to (650) 383-8984. Details on Mothers Against Murder can be found on their website at www.mothersagainstmurder.org, or by calling (650) 248-9529.
