Palo Alto police are looking for a man who was observed acting suspiciously after repeatedly driving past an 11-year-old girl on Friday afternoon.
Police learned about the incident from the girl's father, who called the police department's dispatch center on Saturday morning. He said his daughter had seen a suspicious man the day before, while she was cycling home from school along the 3800 block of Louis Road.
The girl saw a vehicle pass her and then pull over to the curb. She continued to cycle forward and noticed the car once again start, pass her and pull over to the curb. She then looked inside the car and saw the man in the driver's seat "acting strangely," according to police.
The man did not speak to the girl, police said, but her description led officers to believe he may have been engaging in a lewd act. She described the driver as a thin white male in his 20s, who was driving a sports-utility vehicle with a spare tire attached to the rear.
Police are investigating whether this incident is related to any other indecent exposures. Officers encourage residents to immediately report suspicious activity by calling 911. They also advise parents to tell their children to be alert and to tell a trusted adult immediately about anything they see that doesn't seem right.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department's 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.
Comments
Midtown
on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:28 pm
on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:28 pm
Over the last couple of years, there have been multiple police reports of sex crimes involving a young skinny Caucasian male in southern Palo Alto. Note that the police press release for the recent case said the suspect has a "thin build", though that information is missing from the Palo Alto Online story.
There are likely more victims in the past and there will be more in the future if this man is not brought to justice. If anyone has even the smallest amount of information about any past case, please call the police to help prevent future crimes. Thank you.