Around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, a man armed with a handgun sexually assaulted a high school-aged female jogger near the intersection of Arastradero Road and Deer Creek Road in the Los Altos area, according to a press statement released by the Palo Alto police. The man also held the victim at gunpoint. As of Wednesday evening, the suspect remains at large.
Someone passing by the intersection made an immediate 911 call reporting the assault, according to the report.
After the authorities arrived to the scene, the victim was transported to the hospital, and is in stable condition.
According to the preliminary investigation by the Palo Alto police, the victim was jogging westward along the path running parallel to Arastradero Road. According to a press release by the Palo Alto police, “the suspect emerged from the greenbelt and pulled the victim off of the path,” and proceeded to assault her.
Afterwards, the suspect ran from the scene of the assault, and the victim sought help from a passersby.
With the assistance of deputies from the Stanford Department of Public Safety, officers and a canine from the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, and officers and a helicopter from the California Highway Patrol, members of the Palo Alto police searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspect.
It is unknown whether he had access to a vehicle parked in the nearby vicinity.
The young woman described the suspect as “a male in his thirties, possibly of Filipino descent, about 5’10” tall, wearing a black sweatshirt with a bear logo on it with a white and red border,” according to the press release. He was wearing gray baggy pants and black sneakers, and was armed with a handgun.
Later Wednesday evening, Palo Alto police announced on Twitter that their immediate search for the suspect had ended, and that they believe he is no longer in the area. The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
This article has been updated to reflect that the police search for the suspect concluded Wednesday evening.
Contact Courtney Douglas at ccd4 ‘at’ stanford.edu and Claire Wang at clwang32 ‘at’ stanford.edu.