Palo Alto Police Arrest 18-Year-Old Suspect in Violent Assault, Stabbing Of Elderly Man
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- A Palo Alto teen is behind bars after a violent attack on an elderly man who remains hospitalized with major stab wounds.
The alleged assault happened on Friday evening, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. Officers responded to a report of a man with a head wound near the intersection of Lytton Avenue and Seneca Street.
Officers said when they arrived the man, in his 80s, was conscious but bleeding from multiple facial injuries.
A witness told officers they saw a teen running from the scene. Around the same time, two of the suspect's family members arrived and "frantically" said they received a call from the suspect asking them to pick him up.
The alleged suspect was later identified on surveillance video as 18-year-old Andrew McMenomy-Cortez, of East Palo Alto. Police arrested him without incident at his home in the 400 block of Garden Street shortly before 8:30 p.m., Friday night.
According to police, McMenomy-Cortez approached the elderly man and struck up a conversation. The pair walked together before the attack. Police have ruled out robbery as a motive because nothing was taken from the victim.
The victim was taken to the hospital with major injuries, including stab wounds, on his face and neck.
McMenomy-Cortez was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.
Police are asking anyone with with information about the case to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413, or e-mail the Palo Alto Police at paloalto@tipnow.org.
