Man sexually assaulted and robbed on Palo Alto trail, police investigating

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Police in Palo Alto are investigating the robbery and sexual assault of a man on a trail in the Baylands Nature Preserve, the department said Tuesday.
On Monday, just after 10 a.m., a man reported that he had just been sexually assaulted and robbed on a trail in the preserve at 2500 Embarcadero Road. Police arrived but have not been able to locate the suspect.
According to the victim, he was riding his e-bike on the Adobe Creek Loop Trail just south of the compass rose area of Byxbee Park at about 9:45 a.m. when he got off his bike to use his phone.
As he was on his phone, he was tackled from behind by a man who then began searching his pockets. The suspect forcibly removed the victim's pants and sexually assaulted him. After the assault, the suspect stole the man's pants, wallet and bike and fled southbound on the trail.
The victim described the suspect as a man in his early twenties, possibly white, wearing a black sweatshirt and white shorts.
No similar crimes have occurred in Palo Alto recently, according to police.
Detectives are seeking witnesses who were on the trail Monday morning and may have seen something relevant to this case. Anyone with information is asked to call the 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.
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