Palo Alto Police Search for Armed Robbery Suspect at Stanford Shopping Center

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Police in Palo Alto on Tuesday were searching for an armed robbery suspect who stole a woman's purse at the Stanford Shopping Center, according to authorities.

Police said patrol officers were investigating the armed robbery that happened Tuesday afternoon. The suspect was initially described as a male in his early 20s with curly hair wearing a dark sweater and dark shorts who fled from the scene on a blue bicycle.

Police tweeted about the incident just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Neither the robbery victim nor anyone else was injured during the incident, police said. Witnesses told authorities they heard the suspect's gun "click" during the robbery and believed it may have been a toy gun because they saw an orange tip on it.

There were some initial reports of a gunshot related to the incident, but those reports have not been substantiated, police said.

Officers are canvasing the area in search of the suspect, though police believe he has left the shopping center itself. No stores were locked down during the investigation.

Palo Alto police said they would provide any relevant updates on the department's Twitter account, with a news release to follow later in the day.

In:
• Palo Alto
• Armed Robbery
• Crime