Skateboard Attacker Accused Of Assault Arrested: Palo Alto Police

PALO ALTO, CA — Officers arrested a 38-year-old transient after he used a skateboard to attack a pedestrian, the Palo Alto Police Department announced Thursday.

The dispatch center received the 11:40 a.m. call on Wednesday from a man reporting that he had just been assaulted on the 500 block of University Avenue. Officers responded to the area, located the suspect inside a nearby business.

The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his 20s, was walking westbound on
University Avenue when he was accosted by a man he did not know. The man yelled nonsensically then punched the victim in the face, police said.

After punching the victim, the suspect used a skateboard to strike the victim in the abdomen. As the victim fled and called police, the suspect continued to yell unintelligibly at the victim. The suspect then threw a rock toward the victim before walking away. The victim sustained minor injuries to his face and torso.

Officers booked the suspect identified as Tristan Mackreth into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for assault with a deadly weapon and for making criminal threats. Both are considered felonies.

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
the free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.