(KRON) — Three suspects who police believe committed two armed robberies within 25 minutes of each other on Monday night have been arrested, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. The suspects have also been connected to a third armed robbery that took place later in the evening in Milpitas.
No one was physically injured in any of the robberies, police said. The three suspects were booked into jail on multiple felony counts.
The Palo Alto PD said the two initial robberies occurred in the south end of Palo Alto within 25 minutes of each other.
The first robbery happened on the 1100 block of Trinity Lane at about 6:35 p.m. It happened after a “neighbor may have interrupted an auto burglary,” PAPD said. Nobody was injured, and the suspects fled in a white SUV that may have been a Kia. Police said one suspect pointed a handgun as they were fleeing.
An investigation revealed that a family of four had just returned home and pulled into their garage and were approached by two suspects who demanded their phones and the woman’s purse. The suspects had shirts pulled up to partially cover their faces. One suspected pointed a gun at the male victim and threatened to kill him if he didn’t comply. The suspects took the phones from the adult victims but not the woman’s purse. They then ran to a waiting car driven by the third suspect.
The second robbery happened on the 800 block of Marshall Drive at about 7 p.m. Two suspects robbed a woman at gunpoint and took her phone, police said. The woman, who was in her forties, said she returned home and saw a white SUV parked in front of her house. As she exited her car, she was approached by two suspects with ski masks, one who was armed with a handgun. They demanded her phone and she complied.
The suspect vehicle, described as a white SUV, possibly a Kia, was located by San Francisco PD officers at about 9:14 p.m., police said. An enforcement stop was conducted at 7th Street and Stevenson Street in SF and the vehicle’s four occupants were detained without incident.
Palo Alto PD officers also responded and the victim’s stolen property was recovered. A blank pistol was also located, along with multiple other cell phones. Police believe those were also stolen. An investigation into the ownership of those phones is ongoing.
Another robbery that took place later Monday night in Milpitas was also connected to the suspects.
The three adult suspects arrested were:
- Siahold J’lan Tupouata, 18
- Tavita Lauti Fifita, 21
- Curtis Eddie Charles Freeman, 19
All three suspects were Oakland residents and were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on felony charges. A fourth suspect in the vehicle at the time was described as a 16-year-old male who was also from Oakland. He had an outsanding probation violation warrant and was transported to Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. Detectives are still investigating to see if he may have been connected to either Palo Alto robbery.
