Sexual Assault Suspect At Large In Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA -- Police are searching for a suspect who is responsible for assaulting a woman who was walking on El Camino Real early Saturday morning.

The attack was interrupted by the victim’s boyfriend, and the suspect ran away. The suspect has not been identified and remains at large. At 3:30 a.m., an officer patrolling was flagged down on El Camino Real near Grant Avenue by a man who reported his girlfriend had just been assaulted in the 2500 block of El Camino Real.

The preliminary investigation reveals that a woman in her 30s had been unloading items out of her vehicle to give to her friend. As she walked on El Camino Real to meet her friend at an apartment complex, she felt someone grab her buttocks. The victim turned and saw an unknown male who then pushed her to the ground on her back. The suspect straddled her, started touching her genitals over her clothing, and threatened her if she screamed. The victim screamed and yelled help which alerted the victim’s boyfriend who came outside and saw the attack. The victim’s boyfriend chased the suspect and observed that he got into a vehicle and drove away eastbound on Grant Avenue. The victim did not suffer any physical injuries.

Detectives are actively investigating this case. They do not believe this assault is related to any other previous assaults from this year including the one on Dec. 20. The suspect in that case was arrested.

The victim described the suspect as Hispanic, between 25 to 35 years old, 5’11" with facial hair, a muscular build, weighing around 180 pounds, dark hair and eyes. The suspect’s vehicle is a red, four-door, 90s model Toyota Corolla.

An image of the suspect was captured on a security camera in the area. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 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 our free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

--Image courtesy of Palo Alto Police Department