The most recent robbery happened Monday just below the Palo Alto Caltrain station. It took place down in a tunnel, and it was a bold move by the robbers who struck during daylight hours.
Palo Alto police say a 58-year old man was violently attacked around 11:40 Monday morning, while walking through a tunnel that runs beneath the Caltrain station on University Avenue. Two men approached him from behind, hit him with a baseball bat, stole his cash and ran. The man suffered a fractured shoulder.
Police agents are still unclear whether this robbery is related to three other cases in the last month, in which women walking alone at night near the California Avenue station have been knocked down and robbed by one man.
Palo Alto's police department has added more foot patrol in certain locations, but even so, it urges pedestrians to stay aware of their surroundings, and not to walk alone, especially at night. Agents say walk in pairs, a group or find a ride, even a cab. There have been a half dozen robberies near Caltrain stations in Palo Alto since June.
A Caltrain official I spoke with by phone Wednesday morning tells me the transit agency's own police officers are working with Palo Alto agents to try to stop any more of these robberies. Both say they've added more patrols to the area.
No arrests have been made. Anyone with information can call Palo Alto police department's anonymous tip line at 650-329-2190.
