Man Arrested In Connection With Apparent Random Palo Alto Assault

PALO ALTO, CA — An East Palo Alto man was charged on Friday with felony assault with a deadly weapon after police said he struck another man in the head with a skateboard in an apparent unprovoked attack.

The attack occurred on Monday in Palo Alto at the Opportunity Center, which provides housing and services to people experiencing homelessness. According to police, the suspect, 34-year-old Joshua Stroman of East Palo Alto, swung his skateboard at the victim after a brief conversation with the victim and the victim’s mother.

Nothing in the conversation indicated a reason for the attack, according to police. Neither the victim nor his mother had met Stroman before, police said.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to a local hospital to treat a one-inch laceration to his head.