Suspect Sought In Sexual Crimes Against 2 Victims Within An Hour In Palo Alto
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Police in Palo Alto are looking for a man believed to be responsible for two separate sexual crimes on Labor Day weekend and have released two sketches of the suspect.
Both incidents happened Monday morning just blocks from each other. Palo Alto police said the first happened at El Camino Park at 155 El Camino Real at around 9:30 a.m. The suspect approach a woman in her 20s who was practicing soccer by herself and complimented her appearance in Spanish. As he watched her from about 50 feet away, he exposed himself to her, police said.
The man then walked away when the victim went to retrieve her cellphone.
The second incident happened about an hour later at Timothy Hopkins Creekside Park on the 500 block of Palo Alto Avenue. Another woman in her 20s reported she and her boyfriend had been taking a nap on the grass when she woke up to a man touching her private parts over her clothing, police said.
Her boyfriend woke up and challenged the suspect, who left on foot.
Due to the proximity and timing of the two incidents, along with the similar suspect description, detectives believe the same person is responsible for both crimes.
The man was described by both victims as Hispanic, between 40 and 50 years old and about 5'8" to 5'10" tall. He was wearing a tan or gray T-shirt, jeans, a hat, and work boots. The woman playing soccer also reported that he had been carrying a beer.
Both victims independently met with a police sketch artist during the week who produced the two sketches police released Friday.
Anyone with information about these incidents was asked to call 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.
