Suspect in sexual assaults on San Jose’s Los Gatos Creek Trail arrested

(KRON) — A suspect has been arrested in connection to two violent sexual assaults that took place earlier this week along the Los Gatos Creek Trail in San Jose has been arrested. Officers with the San Jose Police Department initially responded on Wednesday at around 8:54 a.m. to the 1900 block of Willow Street following a report of a sexual assault on the trail near Leigh Avenue.

According to SJPD, the adult female survivor told officers she was walking on the trail when she was violently thrown to the ground in an unprovoked attack. The suspect, she told police, then began to sexually assault her.

She was able to fight back, escape and call for help.

Responding officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect who fled the scene. Additional officers with the SJPD Sexual Assaults Investigations Unit (SAIU) responded and launched a comprehensive investigation.

During the investigation, a second woman came forward and reported a similar attack on the same trail and at around the same time. The suspect described by the second woman matched the description of the suspect in the first attack.

Detectives determined that both incidents involved the same suspect.

Considering the violent nature of the attacks and what police believed to be an ongoing threat to public safety, SJPD mobilized all available resources to identify and apprehend the suspect. Detectives identified 21-year-old Pablo Chan of Campbell as a suspect.

Investigators also learned that Chan had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants.

On Thursday at 4:24 p.m., Chan was located and arrested outside a commercial parking lot near Leigh Avenue and De Rose Way. He was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault and the outstanding warrants.