Two arrested for vandalism, assaulting an officer at demonstration in Palo Alto

PALO ALTO — Police said they arrested two people after a demonstration at a shopping center Monday where a woman vandalized store fronts then attempted to flee in a car and the driver ran over a police officer’s foot while trying to escape.

On Monday, Oct. 7, police were monitoring a demonstration at the Stanford Shopping Center, according to a news release from the Palo Alto Police Department.

At the demonstration, a 26-year-old woman spray painted “illegible text” on the windows of the Apple Store and the Sephora store, police said.

The woman attempted to flee the scene by entering a waiting car driven by a 25-year-old man, authorities said. As an officer tried to remove the woman from the car, the driver started to pull away, slamming the officer’s hand in the car door, running over his foot and knocking him to the ground.

The vehicle was then able to get away, police added.

The woman was identified and arrested that same night in Berkeley with the assistance of the Berkeley Police Department, officials said. She was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of felony resisting arrest, conspiracy, vandalism and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

With help from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the man was arrested Thursday night in El Sobrante on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest, authorities said. He was also booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail.

The damage to the storefronts was estimated to be worth more than $1,000. The officer was treated for “moderate injuries” on his hand and foot at a hospital, police said.

Officers added that, at the same demonstration, a counterprotestor in his 50s reported that his Israeli flag was taken by an unknown demonstrator. The suspect is unknown, and the flag has not been located, police said. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Police added that they do not believe that incident is “directly connected” to the arrested suspects.

Anyone with further information on these incidents is asked to call the dispatch center at 650-329-2413 or submit an anonymous tip to paloalto@tipnow.org or 650-383-8984.