PALO ALTO, Calif. (KRON) – Two men were arrested Sunday following an incident where one of the men robbed a woman of her necklace and phone, according to Palo Alto Police. Walter Randall Stokes, 28, of Oakland and Melvin Caldwell King, 24, of Antioch were arrested.
The woman was walking in the 300 block of Manzanita Avenue when Stokes approached her, ripped her necklace off, and pushed her to the ground after she said hello to him. The woman took out her phone to take a picture of the suspect as he was walking away, police said.
Stokes walked back towards her, which prompted the woman to throw her phone into a yard away from her. He grabbed the phone from the ground and fled the scene, according to police.
An investigation led officers to the 00 block of Redwood City. An officer was able to locate a parked vehicle there with two men inside and one of them matched the description of the robbery suspect.
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Stokes fled on foot while the King walked away. Police officers chased and arrested Stokes. King walked back to the vehicle and was arrested without incident, police said.
It was later determined that the car the two men were in was a stolen car that had been reported the day before in Berkeley. Police were able to locate the victim’s phone, according to police.
Stokes was booked into jail for robbery, possession of stolen property, possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest. King was arrested for possession of stolen property and accessory to a felony.
The stolen necklace, which was costume jewelry, was not able to be located. Police said it was worth less than $50. The woman sustained minor injuries to her ankle and shin.