A man in his 70s was struck in the head from behind while walking to his car in a parking lot on El Camino Real on Friday, July 24, and walked into Sundance Steakhouse bleeding from a head wound.

The suspect remains at large.

Palo Alto police are investigating the attack as possible elder abuse, according to a department news release published Saturday, July 25. The classification hinges on whether the suspect targeted the man because of his age, which detectives have not yet determined.

The assault happened at approximately 6:17 p.m. in a private parking lot on the 1800 block of El Camino Real, north of Leland Avenue. The man told officers he was approaching his car when someone hit him in the head from behind with an unknown object. He fell to the ground. The suspect stood over him.

The man pushed the suspect, who then fled on foot.

Officers and Palo Alto Fire Department paramedics went to the scene after the man walked into Sundance Steakhouse, 1921 El Camino Real. Paramedics took him to a local hospital for treatment. Police have not disclosed the hospital or the man's current condition.

Officers searched the area and detained a man in his 40s for investigation but released him after further inquiry. The suspect remains unidentified.

The man described the attacker as a Hispanic or light-skinned male with a goatee, wearing a baseball hat and possibly a dark-colored shirt. Nothing was stolen, and police said the suspect's motive is unknown.

Separate attack at Baylands one day earlier

The assault came one day after a separate attack at the Baylands Nature Preserve. On Thursday, July 23, three suspects robbed a man in his 30s at the Marsh Front trailhead, punching him in the eye and throwing him to the ground while yelling racial slurs, according to a separate Palo Alto police news release. Police are investigating that case as a possible hate crime. Those three suspects also remain at large.

Police have not drawn any connection between the two incidents.

Pattern of crimes targeting seniors

Palo Alto police have investigated multiple incidents targeting elderly residents over the past year and a half. In June 2026, a woman in her 70s was targeted in a jewelry theft scam on the 3300 block of Alma Street, according to Palo Alto Online. That incident followed at least four similar scams targeting seniors near Mitchell Park, Cubberley Community Center, and the College Terrace neighborhood.

Unlike those theft-focused schemes, Friday's assault involved physical violence with no apparent robbery motive.

How to help

Anyone with information about the July 24 assault can call the Palo Alto Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the keyword PAPD plus the tip to 847411, or submitted through the "Palo Alto PD Tips" app available on the App Store and Google Play.