High School Student Sexually Assaulted While Jogging In Palo Alto
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Police searched the area near Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto for a suspect following a reported sexual assault on Wednesday.
Palo Alto police said the suspect grabbed and assaulted a female high school student who was jogging on a path in the area of Arastradero Road at Deer Creek Road, near Tesla's main offices.
The attack happened around 2 p.m. and was reported when a passerby saw the girl crying for help.
The victim is in stable condition, police said.
She told police the man pulled her off the trail and into some bushes, put a gun to her head, sexually assaulted her and then ran away.
Zach Perron with the Palo Alto Police Department said, "The victim described the suspect as a male in his 30s, possibly Filipino of origin, about 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with a bear logo..." He was also reportedly wearing blue sweatpants and armed with a handgun. He was last seen on foot.
Perron said this sort of attack is "extremely unusual" in Palo Alto.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m., Palo Alto police announced that they had ended their search for the suspect as they believe he had left the area.
Police are continuing to investigate the assault, seeking out witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage from a nearby industrial park.
Sunnyvale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol are assisting in the investigation.
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