Search Called Off In Palo Alto For Sexual Assault Suspect

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto police called off an hours-long search Wednesday for an at-large suspect in the sexual assault of a teen-aged girl while she was jogging. The police department said at 4:26 p.m. that it believes the man — suspected in the attack that happened in a greenbelt area at Arastradero Road at Deer Creek Road, near the Tesla headquarters — has left the area.

Police said they are still actively investigating the crime that was reported at 1:47 p.m. Wednesday by a passerby.

"An unknown suspect armed with a handgun pulled a high school-aged jogger off a path and sexually assaulted her," the police department stated in a news release. "Paramedics from the Palo Alto Fire Department transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment. The victim is in stable physical condition."

Police sent an advisory at 2:11 p.m. Wednesday, alerting the public to the search for the unidentified man.

"Officers are currently searching the greenbelt in the immediate area for the suspect, who was last seen on foot armed with a handgun," police said on Twitter.

As of 3:20 p.m., the search continued as authorities shared the above image of the command post on Twitter.

"Officers are continuing to search the area for the suspect, with the assistance of deputies from Stanford DPS and officers from @SunnyvaleDPS and @CHP_GoldenGate," Palo Alto police said.

VTA advised while the police activity ongoing that Express routes 101, 102, 103 and 104 were rerouted to avoid Arastradero.

Police later said their preliminary investigation revealed the victim was jogging westbound on the pedestrian/bicycle that runs parallel to Arastradero Road. The victim was on the north side of the roadway when "the suspect emerged from the greenbelt and pulled the victim off of the path, placed a gun to her head, and sexually assaulted her. The suspect fled the scene on foot, and the victim flagged down a passerby to call for help."

Palo Alto police have spoken to the victim, who described her attacker as a man in his 30s, possibly of Filipino descent, who is about 5 feet 10 inches tall and was wearing a black sweatshirt with a bear logo on it with a white and red border. He also wore gray, baggy pants and black sneakers, and was armed with a handgun that the victim could not further describe, police said.

An extensive search of the area was conducted with assistance from Stanford Department of Public Safety deputies, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety officers and a Sunnyvale DPS K-9, California Highway Patrol officers and a CHP helicopter, but law enforcement could not locate the suspect. It was not known if the suspect had a vehicle parked nearby, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through PAPD's free mobile app, which is downloadable from AppStore or Google Play.

Image via Palo Alto Police Department