Palo Alto Police Make Arrest In Assault Involving Skateboard
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) – Police in Palo Alto have arrested a man on assault charges an unprovoked attack outside a homelessness service center earlier this week.
Around 2:50 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to the Opportunity Center on Encina Avenue and found the victim bleeding from the head.
Firefighters said the victim, identified as a man in his 40s, suffered a one-inch laceration to his head. The victim did not lose consciousness and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Investigators said the suspect approached the victim and the victim's mother at the center's courtyard. Following a brief conversation, the suspect allegedly swung his skateboard with both hands without warning, striking the victim in the head.
The suspect then left the scene with the skateboard.
Police said the victim and his mother told officers they had never met the suspect before and that their conversation was not confrontational as well.
Investigators were able identify the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant. On Friday morning, police in neighboring East Palo Alto found the suspect on University Avenue and Runnymeade Street. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Joshua Stroman of East Palo Alto, was taken into custody without incident.
Stroman was taken to the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. According to jail records, Stroman is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
