A postal carrier in Palo Alto was assaulted and robbed this week and among the things taken, was a key used to access multiple locked mailboxes.
The strong arm robbery happened along Alma Street Wednesday and is the latest in a growing number of similar thefts throughout the Bay Area.
Police said two men approached the carrier, demanded her postal keys, and as she refused, they threw her to the ground and took off with the keys and her cell phone.
Those keys open locked postal boxes that can lead to what happened in Sunnyvale earlier this year. Surveillance camera shows when thieves used stolen keys to rob an apartment complex mailbox three different times.
People along Alma Street are concerned.
“I don’t like it at all. We’ve got our mailman, walks our neighborhood on foot,” said Larry Rippere of Palo Alto. “He’s very kind and cooperative, and we chat. I don’t like them being attacked.”
Police describe the two suspects as men in their 30s, wearing dark clothing and masks.
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Postal inspectors say this type of robbery has taken place all over the Bay Area, and in fact, just last month, federal officials announced 10 arrests for mail theft including one for attempted murder of a mail carrier.
The Bay Area postal inspector said investigators are busy.
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“Each one of these robberies is a big concern and it’s a very serious federal felony,” said U.S. Postal Inspector, Jeff Fitch. “A felony that could lead to 25 years in federal prison.”
Mail carriers in Palo Alto who work near where the robbery took place say they’re on the alert and taking precautions.
“It’s a concern because we are worried about safety, of our safety, when it comes to that kind of situation,” said mail carrier Blas Lozano.
“We just do our job and try to protect ourselves as much as possible,” said mail carrier Dennis Arellano.
The recent robberies in the Bay Area led to a change in the reward being offered in this case and others. The standard reward for information leading to arrest was once $50,000, and it is now $150,000.
Anyone with information about this or other mail carrier crimes can contact the U.S. Postal Inspector's 24-hour Hotline at 1-877-876-2455.
