Police were conducting a massive manhunt for a pair of armed robbery suspects in East Palo Alto Tuesday evening, after chasing them up the Peninsula before the men crashed their getaway van and ran off.
The search tied up traffic along Highway 101 in both directions and had police warning that the men were armed and dangerous and urging the public to call 911 if they spotted them.
The men robbed Clyde's Liquor Store at 3963 Snell Avenue in San Jose around 3:13 p.m., police said.
A police patrol unit saw the suspect's 1996 Dodge minivan near Highway 101 and Montague Expressway and began a pursuit.
The suspects exited University Avenue toward East Palo Alto, crashed their vehicle near the Ravenswood School District office Donahue Street and ran off, according to police. A Ravenswood School District official said the men jumped out of the car while it was still moving.
Police say they found a semi-automatic Uzi-like weapon in the car but believe one of the suspects still had another weapon used in the robbery.
As of 6 p.m., police had set up a perimeter near the crash site and were searching for the suspects. At one point police had close to 90 officers looking for them. Police did take a woman into custody who may have been involved in the robbery as a getaway driver.
One of the
men was described by police as black, about 25 to 30 years-old, about 6
feet-tall with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black beanie, a black jacket and a white
T-shirt and blue jeans. The other suspect was black man, about 5 feet 7
inches, with a thin build and dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a
white T-shirt and dark jeans. Anyone with information on the
crimes can contact the San Jose police robbery unit at (408) 277-4166.
Anonymous tipsters can call the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408)
947-STOP
