Detectives arrested a man Sunday morning in connection with the sexual assault of a high school-aged jogger in Palo Alto on March 28, according to Palo Alto police.
Eduardo Antonio Chavarria-Diaz, 29, of Richmond was arrested about 11 a.m. Sunday at a home in Richmond. Detectives also linked Chavarria-Diaz to a similar assault that occurred in Oakland on March 4 in the jurisdiction of the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department, police said.
The Palo Alto sexual assault was reported at about 1:45 p.m. March 28 in the greenbelt area near Arastradero and Dry Creek roads.
Police said Chavarria-Diaz, who was armed with a handgun, pulled a high school-aged jogger off a path and sexually assaulted the girl. He then fled the scene, and the victim flagged down a passerby in the area to call for help.
The girl was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Chavarria-Diaz was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and sexual penetration by force, all felonies, police said. Additional charges for the crime in Oakland may be forthcoming.
