A wild chase ensued in downtown Palo Alto last Thursday after a man went on a vandalism spree, smashing windows of local businesses and evading cops on foot before being nabbed, the Palo Alto Police Department reported. The suspect was later found carrying what officers suspected was methamphetamine.
The incident kicked off around 10:54 a.m. on February 22, when police were alerted about a man causing a ruckus, kicking storefronts on the 500 block of Emerson Street. He quickly escalated to hurling rocks at Bare Bowls at 530 Emerson Street and Kitchen Nail Bar at 540 Emerson Street, breaking their front windows. Witnesses also claimed the man, later identified as 41-year-old Sheik Riaz Ali from East Palo Alto, was chucking rocks at passersby, officials said.
Officers located Ali shortly after at Lytton Avenue at High Street, but he busted a move, sprinting toward the Palo Alto Transit Center. At the bus hub, he attempted a quick getaway by boarding a bus but was stopped when police ordered an evacuation of the vehicle. Ali then popped an emergency window and leaped over it. Officers caught up with him after a mere five-minute footrace and tussled him into custody, according to the department’s press release.
During the arrest, one officer walked away with minor injuries, including a scuffed face and forearm and a sore back, while Ali remained uninjured. The chaos Ali allegedly caused led to him book him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony vandalism and other charges related to resisting arrest and possession of an illegal substance. In total, Ali is facing three counts of felony vandalism, felony resistance of an officer, a misdemeanor for resisting or delaying an officer, and possession of methamphetamine, per police records.
Despite the risky business with the thrown rocks, no pedestrians were harmed because of Ali's actions. The property damage wrought by Ali was estimated by police to exceed $500 at each location, hitting Bare Bowls and Kitchen Nail Bar and HE&C Tea + Pot at 544 Emerson Street. Local authorities would like to ask anyone with relevant information about the incident to reach out and help with the ongoing investigation.
