Sexual Battery Suspect Sought In Palo Alto: Police

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto police are searching for a suspect in connection with a sexual battery incident in downtown Palo Alto on Saturday afternoon.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, was walking northbound on Middlefield Road between University Avenue and Lytton Avenue when a man on a bicycle forcibly grabbed her buttocks as he passed her, according to police. The man then continued riding after the woman yelled at him. He did not say anything to the victim, police said.

The victim injured her hand when she fell while trying to take a photo of the suspect as he was riding away, and was treated by paramedics from the Palo Alto Fire Department, according to police.

The man is described as either white or Hispanic, tall, in his 30s, with a medium build and possibly light brown hair. He was wearing a light orange short-sleeved shirt and either dark blue or dark grey shorts, the victim told police.

The suspect faces charges of misdemeanor sexual battery and possibly misdemeanor elder abuse, according to police.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department’s 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.