Airbnb Host Robbed, Pushed By Partygoers In Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA — Detectives are looking to identify three suspects who pushed a homeowner to the ground and robbed him at the Airbnb property he owns, the Palo Alto Police Department reported.

The dispatch center received a 911 call that hung up last Sunday at 1:45 a.m. and sent officers to investigate.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the male victim in his 60s went to check on his Airbnb rental in the 100 block of Tennyson Avenue after receiving notifications that his smoke alarm had been activated.

The host had rented the property for the night and expected two occupants. When he arrived at his house at 12:30 a.m., he found a party with 40 people inside his rental property. The victim walked around the house asking people to leave but some refused, police said.

Two male suspects approached the homeowner in a bedroom and pushed the victim to the ground. They grabbed his wallet and mobile phone and ran away. A person attending the party helped retrieve both items and returned them to the victim, according to the police report.

As the victim attempted to call 9-1-1, he was approached a second time by a third male suspect who pushed him and stole his mobile phone and an undisclosed amount of money located in his front pants pocket. This suspect also fled.

The victim was uninjured.

It's unclear whether the suspects who were at the party are the actual Airbnb renters.

"That's part of the investigation," Palo Alto Police spokeswoman Janine De Lavega.

The host has declined to talk to the media.

Airbnb has called the behavior "appalling" and has removed the traveler from the online hospitality system, which offers property damage protection amounting to $1 million. More on its host guarantee program may be found by visiting this site. The company has also established Airbnb’s Community Standards to dictate appropriate behavior for travelers.

The victim described the third suspect as a black male, between 20 to 25 years old, standing 5-feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 160 to 170 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes and was wearing a dark-colored sweat jacket and orange pants. The other two suspects are also described as black males between 20 to 25 years old.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips may be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.