Palo Alto's SWAT team snagged a suspect involved in a recent street robbery without a hiccup, authorities reported. The pre-dawn operation on Thursday roped in 36-year-old East Palo Alto resident Antonio Jaman Harrison, fingered for pilfering a woman's purse and phone back on February 7 while she was parked at home. The perp, already on the radar with a rap sheet for drug possession inside a lockup, is cooling his heels in the slammer on robbery and probation violation charges.
The heist took place on De Soto Drive when Harrison supposedly accosted a woman in her car; he barked demands for her valuables while menacingly keeping a hand tucked under his hoodie, suggesting a hidden gun. She handed over her belongings without resistance. Investigators pieced together the crime, partly thanks to lifted fingerprints from the recovered phone leading them straight to Harrison.
According to the Palo Alto Police Department, the cuff and collar operation was a combined effort with the East Palo Alto PD, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. The meticulous investigation led to a seamless arrest at Harrison’s digs on Bay Road. However, the alleged weapon and other robbery evidence remained elusive.
Harrison's mugshot now joins his criminal record gallery at Santa Clara County Main Jail, where he’s lodged pending a court date. The local cops, on the hunt for more leads, are calling on the community—witnesses with any tidbits are urged to hit up the 24-hour dispatch center or send an anonymous tip through email or voice mail.
