Cigarettes worth $30,000 stolen in robbery

PALO ALTO – Police say about $30,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen in a van robbery in Palo Alto on Thursday.

The incident occurred at about 7:40 a.m. at Palo Alto Shell, 2200 El Camino Real, near College Avenue, Palo Alto police said in a news release.

Two men, one in his 50s and the other in his 40s, stopped at the gas station to make a delivery. The younger man went inside to get paperwork signed while the older man stayed with the truck.

The elderly man was working inside the 16-meter-long trailer when he heard footsteps and turned around. He saw two men. One of them reached for a bulge in his waistband and warned the man to “stay back,” police said.

“The victim assumed the suspect might have a weapon,” police said, “but none was seen or displayed.”

The robbers cut plastic sheeting from a pallet and handed several crates filled with cigarettes to a third man who remained outside the truck, police said. The third man then dumped the cigarettes from the crates into a newer SUV.

The trio left the gas station in the SUV, which was last seen heading west on College Avenue.

“The preliminary damage was estimated at $30,000,” police said.

According to police, the robbers were all in their twenties and wore dark clothing and ski masks over their faces.

The robbery is currently under investigation, police said. Police have not received any reports of similar crimes in the city recently.

Anyone with information about the case can contact police at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 650-383-8984, text or email [email protected].

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