Man Commits Lewd Act in Grocery Store Checkout Line
Published on January 29, 2022
Palo Alto, CA – Police are searching for a suspect who committed a lewd act this week while in the self-checkout line of a grocery store.
On Thursday, January 27, 2022, at about 11:02 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call reporting a sex crime that had occurred the previous day at Safeway at 2811 Middlefield Road. The victim, a woman in her twenties, reported that on January 26 at about 11:00 a.m., she had been ringing up her groceries in the self-checkout line when she noticed the suspect standing very close behind her.
Another man approached them and told the victim that the suspect had been following her and taking pictures of her. That man, whom police have not yet been able to identify or interview, began to yell at the suspect. The victim was scared and left the store promptly. Once outside, she noticed what she believed to be biological fluid on the back of her shirt and pants.
Police worked in close collaboration with Safeway management and were able to review surveillance video of the incident, which shows the suspect masturbating while standing immediately behind the victim. The suspect appeared to be fully clothed at the time and was discreetly masturbating, such that his actions may not be immediately obvious to a passerby. The suspect left the store shortly after the incident and the verbal confrontation with the unidentified male.
The suspect appears to be a Black male, possibly in his twenties or thirties, about six feet tall and 210 pounds. He was wearing a black shirt and gray zippered sweatshirt under an orange construction vest, blue jeans, and black sneakers with white markings. He had a large set of keys hanging off the front of his belt. He was wearing a black face covering and a black baseball hat. Video surveillance showed him returning to a white Chevrolet or GMC full-size van with swing-out side doors that was parked in the Safeway parking lot. A surveillance image of the suspect, and an image of his vehicle, are attached to this release. Police are not releasing the surveillance video or any additional images.
Police are actively investigating this incident. There have been no similar incidents in Palo Alto or neighboring cities of which we are aware. Police are hoping to identify and interview the man who confronted the suspect and are asking that person to contact the Palo Alto Police Department at (650) 329-2413.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 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.