PALO ALTO — Police arrested a naked 18-year-old man suspected of being under the influence of narcotics after he went on a violent crime spree Friday night, fighting two residents in their homes and beating a woman who was walking her dog before finally being taken into custody after struggling with officers.
On April 4 at about 8:51 p.m., the 24-hour dispatch center received a 911 call from a resident in the 1100 block of Colorado Avenue reporting an in-progress battery. The resident said that a naked man had entered the home through an unlocked front door, charged a teenage juvenile and punched him at least once, and then fled on foot.
As officers were responding, the dispatch center received a second 911 call from a resident in the 1000 block of Colorado Avenue at about 8:52 p.m. That resident, a man in his forties, reported that a naked man had just entered his home through an open front door and attempted to physically attack him. The resident kicked the suspect, who fled on foot.
Officers found the naked suspect at 8:57 p.m. in the 2900 block of Otterson Court. They saw that he had a cut on his face and numerous abrasions on his body. The suspect charged at officers when they spotted him. After a physical struggle that lasted about one minute, the officers were able to safely take the suspect into custody.
The suspect, who spat blood on an officer after being handcuffed, exhibited a number of symptoms of being under the influence of narcotics, police said.
At the same time that officers first encountered the suspect, the dispatch center received a third 911 call at 8:57 p.m. from a woman in her fifties who had been walking her dog in the 1000 block of Colorado Avenue. She reported that she had been tackled from behind by a naked man who punched and kicked her numerous times while she lay on the ground.
The resulting investigation revealed that after the suspect left the first home in the 1100 block of Colorado Avenue, he then attacked the female victim, who screamed for help. The second 911 caller, as it turned out, heard her screams and opened his door to investigate. When he saw what was going on, he yelled at the suspect to stop the assault. That apparently caused the suspect to turn his attention instead to the second 911 caller and charge into that man’s house. After that victim kicked the suspect, the suspect ran away and the man then called the police.
Personnel from the Palo Alto Fire Department transported the female victim to a local hospital, where she was treated for moderate abrasions and bruising to her face, head, chin, and knuckles. She also complained of pain in her torso. Neither of the male victims sustained any injuries. One officer received scrapes on his hands during the arrest, but did not require medical attention.
The suspect had numerous abrasions to his face, legs, and hands, and also had a cut on his face from an unknown source that both male victims described seeing when he entered their homes. The suspect received treatment for his injuries at a local hospital before going to jail.
Police booked 18-year-old Daiki Glenn Minaki of Palo Alto into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for one count of felony battery for his actions against the woman walking her dog, and six misdemeanor charges (resisting arrest, battery on an officer, being under the influence of narcotics, battery, and two counts of trespassing).
The suspect was not known by any of the victims in this case, and police believe all three of his attacks were random in nature.