In the dim light of early Saturday morning, a custodian in his fifties found himself the victim of an assault and carjacking in Palo Alto, California. According to a news release from the local police department, the man was accosted while performing his duties around 5:51 a.m. The culprits left him unconscious and fled with his vehicle, a 2019 blue Toyota 4Runner.
The victim, yet to fully recover the names of his assailants, was momentarily knocked out next to a dumpster on Page Mill Road. He had exited his idling vehicle to quickly to dispose of garbage when a male voice struck him from behind – a blow that sent him to the ground, into darkness. When he surfaced from unconsciousness, the victim's car, along with an older-model light brown sedan that was seen nearby prior to the attack, had vanished.
Police are now stringing together the details of the crime, with the only lead being a brief sighting of a white female seated in the suspicious sedan. The male assailant, a phantom to both the victim and law enforcement, remains unidentified. The investigation has taken officers across city lines to Oakland, where the stolen 4Runner was eventually located by the Oakland Police Department at around 9 a.m., burned and abandoned in the 600 block of Embarcadero West.
This violent theft rings as an isolated incident in Palo Alto side streets, which have rarely seen such crimes unfold. As detectives actively to work unravel the case, the police department urges anyone with information to step forward. Tips can be kept anonymous and are welcome via email at [email protected], or by texting or leaving a voicemail at (650) 383-8984.
As the community grapples with this brazen robbery, the quest for justice is just as fiery as the torched remains of the custodian's once intact daily life. Callers looking to help can reach out to the 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413.
