Palo Alto police say they have arrested a woman at Lytton Plaza downtown after she allegedly spat on a man while yelling a racial epithet.
On Saturday (April 12) at about 6 p.m., police dispatchers got a call reporting a fight in progress at the plaza outside of Pizza My Heart at University Avenue and Emerson Street. Police arrived and found a man who reported that he had just been battered.
The investigation revealed that the victim, a man in his 60s, had been seated in the plaza when he was approached by a woman. Without provocation, the woman spat on the victim while shouting a racial epithet directed at Black people, police said. Fearing for his safety, the man left the plaza as the suspect continued to yell.
Officers located the woman a short distance away and detained her without incident. When the woman saw the victim nearby, she resumed shouting racial epithets toward him in the presence of officers.
Police booked Lisa Madden, 50, of Palo Alto into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for disturbing the peace, battery, and a hate crime (all misdemeanors), as well as an outstanding felony arrest warrant for vandalism.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984, or submitted using the “TipNow-Palo Alto” app, which is available via the App Store or Google Play.
The mugshot is radiating Breaking Bad meets Hulk Hogan meets disgruntled school bus driver energy—somewhere between a skullet and a fivehead, with a generous side of “I’ve absolutely had it with these kids.
Not a nice experience for the victim however, I have seen this woman before in Downtown PA… she is clearly MENTALLY ILL and often yells at people. She needs help and perhaps we need more security downtown. Is this ok to post her mugshot? No, I don’t think so. If she were a black woman and spit on an Asian or white man, would we even be reading about this? Let’s be careful not to exploit the mentally ill…even if it feeds the narrative so often driven by the liberal media.
Well said. You’re right, the woman has serious mental issues. The article left that part out. If the races were reversed the headline would say: mentally ill woman allegedly spits on man while shouting.
Alvin, a little racist, aren’t you?
Who are you to decide what mug shots police release? Putting this photo out there helps people know who is crazy and should be avoided. It’s a matter of safety. She shouldn’t be on the streets, but given the policy of catch-and-release, we need to be able to avoid danger on our own.
Then every person in downtown Palo Alto, who harasses people should have their mug shots shown. . I agree we need more police presence in downtown .
Are we showing their mug shots because we know they’re simply going to be kicked right back out on the streets to be a menace ? This is obvious a chronic problem in California the mentally ill I’ll never get help and residence are subjected to this. Start showing all the mugshots of people arrested for harassment not just this poor soul. We should see them all so we are on alert … I totally agree!
I think they do, in fact, show mug shots of other people who are arrested for this kind of thing. Not just the mentally ill. I guess you don’t read the papers. Don’t comment if you’re ignorant.