Arrest made in armed robbery of teen cyclist in Palo Alto
PALO ALTO – A Mountain View man was arrested in connection of the robbery of a teenage bicyclist at knifepoint in Palo Alto early Monday, police said.
According to officers, the 16-year-old boy was on the path behind the Town and Country Village shopping center around 1:45 a.m. when the suspect yelled at him from his bicycle. The suspect then rode up to the victim, and pulled out a black folding pocket knife.
Police said the suspect then demanded the victim's cellphone and money. The victim complied and the suspect rode away.
The teen rode to a friend's house, where he notified police around 3 a.m.
Shortly after the victim called, officers tracked the teen's phone to the area of Page Mill Road and El Camino Real, but the device was not found.
Around 3:55 p.m., police said they found a cyclist matching the suspect's description on the 4200 block of El Camino Real and detained him without incident. Police said they found a knife in the man's pocket matching the description given by the victim, along with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Richard Nunez, was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of felony robbery and possession of methamphetamine and narcotics paraphernalia.
Police said they are investigating if Nunez is connected to two similar robberies involving a suspect on a bicycle in the last week, but noted differences in the suspect descriptions.
According to jail records, Nunez is being held at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas on $50,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
