Police in Palo Alto are investigating a sexual assault that occurred over the weekend at the Palo Alto Transit Center on University Avenue.
Police dispatch received a call around 2:12 p.m. on Saturday from a nurse at a nearby hospital reporting a sexual assault that had occurred overnight. The victim, a woman in her 40s, had been riding a bus from South San Francisco and exited at the Palo Alto Transit Center at 95 University Ave., at the end of the line. The suspect, who had been the only other passenger on the bus, exited as well.
The victim estimates that between 2 and 3 a.m., the suspect attacked her near the portable restrooms and sexually assaulted her.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 40s, about 6 feet 3 inches tall, with a lanky frame and beard. He was wearing an orange beanie hat. The victim told police that she had seen the suspect before on the late-night bus recently.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The woman may work with a sketch artist to create a composite of the suspect; if that happens, police will release it to the public as soon as it is available.
Detectives are actively investigating this assault. There have been no recent similar assaults reported, police said. Anyone with information that might help this case is encouraged to call the 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to (650) 383-8984.
