Palo Alto police on Thursday released a sketch of a man they are calling the primary suspect in a "random" knife attack on a man who to check out some car trouble on a neighborhood street this weekend.
The suspect is described as a Latino man, about 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 160 pounds, who was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. He had a light complexion, short black hair, and had a short well-groomed beard.
The 37-year-old victim told police that he used a pocket knife with a 3-inch blade when he slashed his arm Saturday in the 100 block of Melville Avenue just after 11:36 p.m.
The victim told police he was attacked by two men, and a third person was waiting in a getaway black sedan. He didn't get a good description of either of them.
The victim told police that he was driving car southbound on Alma Street from University Avenue when a warning light began flashing on his dashboard. He pulled off on Melville Avenue and parked underneath a street light to check it out.
Just then, the victim told police that a sedan drove up and parked nearby and two men got out and began walking towards him. They were speaking loudly and seemed to be joking with one another. They began speaking in English, but the victim does not speak English, police said, and couldn't figure out what they were saying. The first suspect took out his knife and cut the victim four times, police said.
The attack ended abruptly and the two suspects walked to the black sedan, which sped off.
A passerby suddenly appeared and helped call 911. Police said there is no known motive for the crime, there was no robbery and there is no evidence that this is gang related.
Anyone with information should call our 24-hour dispatch center at 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.
