Richmond man arrested in sexual assault of teen jogger

A man was arrested Sunday morning for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor who was jogging in Palo Alto on March 28.

Eduardo Antonio Chavarria-Diaz, 29, was arrested in Richmond and an investigation revealed he was also linked to a similar assault in Oakland on March 4.

The victim was jogging westbound on a path parallel to Arastradero Road when Chavarria-Diaz allegedly pulled the victim off the path into a greenbelt, put a gun to her head and sexually assaulted her.

The suspect fled the path on foot and police said the victim flagged down a bystander to call the police at 1:47 p.m.

Police responded and located the minor in the greenbelt near the intersection of Arastradero Road and Deer Creek Road, officers said. Paramedics transported her to a hospital for treatment and she was in stable condition that evening.

Palo Alto police obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s arrest on April 7. The agency, along with East Bay Regional Park District police, arrested Chavarria-Diaz without incident at 11 a.m. in the 100 block of South 9th Street in Richmond.

He was booked for three felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and sexual penetration by force. Police said he might face additional charges for the sexual assault in Oakland.

Police are investigating the assault to determine whether Chavarria-Diaz was involved in any other unsolved crimes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Palo Alto police dispatch at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent to paloalto@tipnow.org or via text and voice message to (650) 383-8984.