Police Seeking Man Who Allegedly Grabbed 15-Year-Old Palo Alto Girl

PALO ALTO - Palo Alto police are looking for a man whom they suspect grabbed the buttocks of a 15-year-old girl Monday afternoon in the Homer Avenue tunnel near downtown Palo Alto.

Palo Alto police say they received a call at about 3:56 p.m. from a parent saying they believed their 15-year-old daughter had been the victim of a sexual assault that had occurred about 20 minutes previously at the Homer Avenue pedestrian tunnel near Alma Street

Police say responding officers were not able to find a suspect in the area.

Palo Alto police investigators say the girl was walking eastbound through the tunnel when a man approached her from behind and allegedly grabbed her rear end for a few seconds.

Once she started screaming, police say, the suspect fled westbound through the tunnel.

Police say the woman was not injured.

According to police, the girl told a parent about the incident when she got home, prompting the call to police.

Palo Alto police say the girl gave the following description of the suspect:

• 40-year-old Hispanic male
• about 5 feet 6 inches tallwith a thin build.
• short buzzed haircut, was unshaven, and had a goatee
• wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt with dark blue jeans

According to police, the girl said the alleged attacker "smelled bad, and also had crooked teeth."

If you know anything about this incident or any other information that might help police, you're asked to call the Palo Alto police 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.

Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Palo Alto PD free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.