Police are searching for four suspected burglars who broke into an occupied Palo Alto house and fled when confronted by an elderly resident who was home alone on Friday.
Dispatchers responded to a report at 9:48 p.m. that a burglary had occurred in the 3500 block of Emma Ct, according to a police press release. Officers responded immediately but the suspects had fled the scene by the time they arrived.
The victim, a women in her 70's, told authorities she was home alone inside an upstairs bedroom with the door closed when she heard noises inside the residence. She opened the door, asked who was there, and heard one of the home invaders shout, “there’s somebody in there!”
She spotted three people holding flashlights who quickly ran down the stairs from a different upstairs room, and from a window she watched them flee the house, enter a parked vehicle and drive away.
The subsequent investigation determined that the suspects smashed a sliding glass door on the side of the house to gain entry. Police said the robbers "rummaged through several rooms" and the victim was not certain what, if anything, was taken.
"It sounds like not only was she surprised, but they were surprised," Lt. Brian Philip told KTVU. "And upon finding each other, they went their separate ways. The three suspects escaped the house, ran back to an awaiting vehicle, and fled the area."
Home security footage in the neighborhood appeared to show the four suspects getting out of a black 2013 to 2016 Mercedes c-class four-door sedan with no front license plate. After aborting their attempted burglary, the group could be seen driving away eastbound on Matadero Ave.
Officials will not release the video to the public because it is "not of sufficient quality" to aid the investigation.
The victims described the suspects as all less than six feet tall with medium builds and wearing all dark clothing. The person she heard did not appear to have an accent.
Officials noted that burglaries of occupied residences are "extremely rare" in Palo Alto because most crimes are committed during the day, when residents are less likely to be home.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can also be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or by calling or texting 650-383-8984.
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