PALO ALTO – A 58-year-old East Palo Alto man was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in the city’s downtown, authorities said.
The victim, who is in her 70s, told authorities she was sleeping in a city parking lot at 451 Ramona St. about 10 p.m. on April 5 when the suspect woke her up and demanded sexual intercourse, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.
When the victim refused, the suspect punched and kicked her, held her down and sexually assaulted her, police said. The suspect ran away when a car pulled into the lot.
“The victim reported no physical injury beyond pain as a result of the suspect kicking her,” police said.
The victim told authorities she knew the suspect from previous interactions on the street.
About 8:45 a.m. Friday, officers were conducting a follow-up investigation with the victim on the 400 block of Ramona Street when they spotted the suspect walking down the street, police said. The suspect was arrested without incident.
The suspect was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose on charges of assault with intent to commit rape, sexual penetration, elder abuse, false imprisonment and criminal threats. At the time of his arrest, he was on post-release supervision out of San Mateo County for a prior conviction of felony assault on a police officer.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.
