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Delivery Truck Robbed of $30,000 in Cigarettes

PALO ALTO – Police are investigating a robbery that occurred yesterday morning where three suspects stole about &dollar;30,000 in cigarettes from a semi-trailer truck making a delivery&period; No one was physically injured&period; The suspects are unknown and at large&period;&NewLine;On Thursday, May 23, 2024, at about 7&colon;38 a&period;m&period;, the Palo Alto 24-hour dispatch center received an alarm coming from the Palo Alto Shell at 2200 El Camino Real&period; When officers arrived on scene, they learned that an employee of a delivery company had activated the alarm because there had just been a robbery&period;&NewLine;The investigation revealed that the two victims, a man in his fifties and a man in his forties, had been working in tandem on a 53-foot semi-trailer truck making deliveries&period; When they arrived at the Palo Alto Shell, they made their delivery&period; The younger victim went into the station to get paperwork signed, and the older victim was in the back of the trailer working&period; That victim heard footsteps inside the trailer, and turned around to find two suspects, one of whom reached for a bulge in his waistband and warned him to stay back&period; The victim assumed the suspect may have a weapon, but none was seen or displayed&period;&NewLine;The two suspects proceeded to cut the wrapping off a pallet and then passed several tote boxes full of cigarettes from the pallet to a third suspect, who remained outside&period; That third suspect dumped the cigarettes out of the tote boxes and into a vehicle, and then all three suspects entered the vehicle and fled westbound on College Avenue&period; The preliminary loss was estimated at &dollar;30,000&period;&NewLine;The victims described the suspects as Black males in their twenties, all wearing dark clothing with ski masks covering their faces&period; The victims described the suspect vehicle as a newer sports utility vehicle&period; Detectives are actively investigating this incident&period; No similar crimes have been reported to police recently in Palo Alto&period;&NewLine;

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