A woman in Palo Alto was left badly beaten Thursday night when she was blindsided by a man while taking a walk.

Officers got a call around 6:04 p.m. about a woman screaming in the 400 block of Miramonte Avenue. 

The victim was savagely attacked and the incident has rattled the neighborhood.

Robin Blumenthal said, “To just come out and punch her in the face, it’s like a random act of violence.”

Investigators say the woman who’s in her 30s, was walking southbound in the 1500 block of Castilleja Avenue when a man approached her from behind and put his hand over her mouth. 

He then pushed the victim down into the bushes and a struggle ensued. The woman began screaming and the suspect punched her repeatedly in the face.

Neighbors heard the woman’s scream and came outside, which scared the suspect away. 

Police say the attacker didn’t try to take the woman’s clothes off, so the incident is not being investigated as attempted rape. 

The suspect also didn’t steal anything.

A police dog was brought to the scene to help search for the suspect, but he wasn’t located. 

On Friday, detectives followed up on investigative leads and were able to identify the suspect as 28- year-old Marcelo Garcia Martinez.

Martinez was located at the transit center at 95 University Avenue at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. He was arrested an booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.

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