Man arrested after Palo Alto assault that left woman injured

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- A 28-year-old man was arrested Saturday, suspected in a Thursday assault on a residential Palo Alto sidewalk that left a woman injured, Palo Alto police said Sunday.

Marcelo Garcia Martinez, a transient, was located about 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Transit Center on University Avenue in Palo Alto, the day after a judge granted police a felony arrest warrant for his arrest.

Police received a call about 6 p.m. Thursday of a woman screaming near Castilleja Avenue in Palo Alto. Investigators determined a woman in her 30s was walking along Castilleja when a man approached her from behind and put his hand over her mouth.

The man, believed to be Martinez, pushed the woman down into some bushes. The woman started screaming, and the man then punched her repeatedly in the face, police said. Neighbors heard the screams and came outside, scaring the attacker away.

The woman, who suffered bruises to her face and shoulder, refused medical attention, police said.

Martinez was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose on one count of assault with intent to commit a sex offense, a felony.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloaltotipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.