Palo Alto police have released a surveillance image and are asking for the public’s help after a woman reported being sexually battered while she slept along the 200 block of University Avenue last Thursday.
The woman, in her 50s, told officers she was asleep when she woke up around 2 a.m. to feel a man touching her. As soon as she sat up, the suspect took off. She was not physically injured, and detectives say the case is under active investigation.
According to the Palo Alto Police Department, the victim came into the station at about 3:10 p.m. that same day. She described the suspect as a Black man about 40 years old. Officers say they later tracked down surveillance footage and have now posted a still photo of the man on the city’s website as part of the ongoing probe.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch line at (650) 329-2413, or send anonymous tips by text or voicemail to (650) 383-8984, or through the TipNow-Palo Alto app.
Downtown Context and Past Incidents
Police say they have not seen any similar reports recently, but University Avenue has been the focus of assault and groping investigations in past years. In 2019, officers released surveillance video after a woman was groped while walking on University Avenue, as reported by the Palo Alto Daily Post.
Video, Plate Readers and Investigators’ Tools
Across neighboring cities, investigators have leaned heavily on security cameras and license plate reader networks to track down suspects, tools that can be especially crucial in busy downtown corridors.
For example, East Palo Alto detectives used the Flock Safely license plate network to follow a vehicle from an assault scene to Mountain View, which led to an arrest last year, according to an East Palo Alto press release.
Palo Alto detectives are now asking anyone who was in the downtown area last Thursday and noticed suspicious activity, or who recognizes the man in the released photo, to contact the department. The 24-hour dispatch number is (650) 329-2413, and anonymous tips may be sent to (650) 383-8984 or submitted through TipNow-Palo Alto.
