Police Searching for Sexual Battery Suspect

Published on August 09, 2021

Palo Alto, CA – Police are searching for a suspect who sexually battered a woman in her sixties this weekend as she walked near downtown Palo Alto.

On Saturday, August 7, 2021, at about 4:33 p.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call from a woman reporting she had been the victim of a sexual battery in the 400 block of Middlefield Road.  Officers responded immediately but could not locate the suspect.

The investigation revealed that the victim, a woman in her sixties, had been walking northbound on the west sidewalk of Middlefield Road, heading from University Avenue to Lytton Avenue.  A bicyclist rode up behind her, and as he passed her, he forcibly grabbed her buttocks with one hand.  The victim yelled at him, but he continued riding.  The suspect never said anything to her.

The victim attempted to take out her cell phone to photograph the suspect as he was riding away, but in the process of doing so, she fell and injured her hand.  The victim was not able to photograph the suspect, and last saw him riding near Lytton Avenue.  Paramedics from the Palo Alto Fire Department responded to treat her injury.  

The victim described the suspect as a tall male in his thirties with a medium build, possibly with light brown hair.  She said he was either white or Hispanic and was wearing a light orange short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts that were either dark blue or dark gray.  As the victim never saw the suspect’s face as he rode by, no suspect sketch will be forthcoming.

There have been no similar cases in Palo Alto recently.  Due to the victim’s age, the suspect could face a misdemeanor charge of elder abuse in addition to misdemeanor sexual battery.

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.