By the Daily Post staff
Palo Alto police have arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of violently assaulting and stabbing an 80-year-old pedestrian in the Crescent Park neighborhood. The victim suffered major injuries and remains hospitalized, police said.
On Friday (July 31) at 7:07 p.m., dispatchers received a medical call reporting a man was down with a head wound near the intersection of Lytton Avenue and Seneca Street. Arriving officers found the victim conscious but bleeding from multiple facial injuries.
A witness said he had seen a teenager running from the scene.
At the same time, two women — later identified as family members of the suspect — arrived and frantically told officers they were looking for their teenage relative. The teen had just called them, said he needed a ride, and had shared his GPS location with them via smart phone.
An investigation, which included a review of surveillance footage from homes near the crime scene, led to the identification of the suspect as 18-year-old Andrew McMenomy-Cortez of East Palo Alto, police said.
Police took McMenomy-Cortez into custody without incident at his home in the 400 block of Garden Street in East Palo Alto at about 8:23 p.m.
The victim had been walking on the sidewalk when it appears the suspect approached him and struck up a conversation, police said. The victim and suspect walked together for a time before the assault occurred. The motive for the attack is unknown; the victim was not missing any property, so robbery is not a likely motive, police said.
Paramedics from the Palo Alto Fire Department rushed the victim to the hospital for treatment. The victim sustained major wounds to his face and neck, including several stab wounds. He remains hospitalized.
Police booked the suspect into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse, both felony crimes.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
[Comment deleted —- Don’t accuse people of crimes if they haven’t been charged.]
You know absolutely nothing. My grandpa was attacked and the kid said he had a flat tire then pulled a knife. [Portion deleted because it refers to a comment that has been entirely deleted.]
Also Victoria Williams there is a video of the attack and you can clearly see how the kid is guilty. He is charged with attempted murder for a REASON.
Where the vid
Is the suspect a friend/relative of yours? Anyway, with that hyphenated name you’d think he’s know better…
You would think a 19 year old would have morals but I guess not!
If it was a robbery, why didn’t they take anything and why would they purposefully attack someone. This is clearly attempted murder. JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIM
I hope this kid gets good time behind bars. I cannot imagine how the parents must feel and how disappointed they are because they truly failed as parental figures
[Comment deleted — don’t accuse people of committing crimes if they haven’t been charged.]
I know this kid and something triggered him to go off on this man it was not intentional he didn’t set out to hurt someone that night. He’s a good kid and we’ll just have to see how this goes. Don’t judge him, we weren’t there.
Please explain how a violent crime is “not intentional”…
Some of us were there and saw everything. This “person” is an animal. What he did is in no way different than Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer.
The victim is innocent and that kid is a monster in society
I’ve known Andrew for years and years, he was the sweetest and most respectful kid I have met. What happened is tragic; and that elderly man definitely didn’t deserve that, but there has to be more behind why he did what he did. Because Andrew is not like that whatsoever. He has never been a violent kid, and has always been against violence. He has never even gotten into a fist fight. There must have been something that triggered him.
Animal. Pure animal. Capital punishment was made for animals like him. Hopefully, he has already been beaten to death in prison.