Photo

A woman reported being sexually assaulted while jogging through El Palo Alto Park in Palo Alto early Wednesday morning, Sept. 19, according to Palo Alto police.

A man came up behind the woman, bear-hugged her, grabbed her breast and possibly tried to pull her down in the process, police said. The woman told police she screamed and was able to free herself and the man immediately jogged away.

The woman didn't suffer any injuries and followed the man from a distance while using her cell phone to call the police. She told police she last saw him running east on Hawthorne Avenue from Alma Street.

Police responded with a canine unit but were unable to find the man after a search of the area. She described the assailant as Middle Eastern or Hispanic, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build. She said he had thin black hair.

Police said the assault appears to have been committed by the same person who committed two similar assaults in the past month. On Aug. 20 a man grabbed a woman's buttocks in the 600 block of Fulton Street, and on Aug. 29 a man grabbed a woman's breast in the parking lot of Stanford Shopping Center.

"We are concerned about all of these events, but we are particularly concerned about this
one, as it appears as though the suspect's behavior may be escalating," Lt. Zach Perron stated in the release. "We're going to do everything we can to identify and apprehend him. We ask for the public's help with reporting suspicious behavior immediately to 9-1-1."

Police recommend joggers run in pairs or in small groups, run in well-traveled areas, not wear headphones over both ears, and carry a cell phone with them.

Related stories:

• Sexual battery reported at Stanford Shopping Center

• Suspect sought in Crescent Park groping

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.