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Police released a sketch of a man Thursday believed to have assaulted a woman and left her with serious injuries on Mountain View’s Stevens Creek Trail on Monday night.
The suspect is described as a black man between 20 and 30 years old who is about 6 feet tall with a slender to medium build. He had short hair and a Caribbean accent, and was wearing a Golden State Warriors sweatshirt, according to police.
The victim, a woman from Massachusetts, was walking along the trail near the bridge to Creekside Park at Gladys Avenue and Easy Street at about 10 p.m. when a man approached her from behind and tried to speak with her.
She refused to interact with him, but he grabbed her and pushed her into bushes several feet off the trail, according to police. He then allegedly punched her repeatedly in the face.
A pair walking along the trail saw the man and shouted to him, and the victim used the distraction to bite the suspect while he tried to muffle her screams.
The victim jumped away and ran to the pair, police said. The suspect walked away south on the trail under state Highway 85, and police were unable to locate him after a search. The woman was treated for serious injuries to her face.
Police said the suspect might have bite marks on his hand or forearm, from when the woman tried to escape. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact Detective Robert Medina at robert.medina@mountainview.gov.
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Unfortunately this crime is not unusual,as far back as 2009 there have been news stories of sexual assault, flashers and robberies, and it is getting worse. The number of people living ‘rough’ has risen dramatically over past 10 years, another factor making Stevens Creek Trail high risk especially at night. They can step up surveillance and improve lighting but the reality is that MVPD cannot patrol it 24/7. Assaults have occurred mid-day, not just at night.
At this point there should be signage at all entrances warning pedestrians that the area is unsafe especially at night, and that it is not regularly monitored by police. A crime map showing where these incidents occurred on the trail would be helpful, I suspect areas of the trail far away from encampments not as dangerous, but the reports always seem to mention the area in vicinity of 85/ECR.