Menlo Park man ‘bleeding profusely’ ID’s assault suspect before dying

East Palo Alto police are investigating a rare potential homicide in the city after a man died hours after being assaulted on Thursday.

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Capt. Paul Kunkel told SFGATE a call came in shortly after 2 p.m. reporting a man acting erratically on the 2300 block of University Avenue.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man disrobing and displaying other erratic behavior. Officers also found a 52-year-old man from Menlo Park with “significant facial injuries” who said he had been assaulted by the other man, according to a news release by the East Palo Alto Police Department.

“Our patrol bureau responded and found the victim, who was bleeding profusely,” Kunkel said. “He was able to identify the suspect, and we got the victim to the hospital.”

The suspect was taken into custody by police at the scene and later booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of assault resulting in great bodily injury and violation of parole. Law enforcement has not released the name or other identifying information of either person as of publication. 

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Kunkel said the two men were associated with one another and that the victim was reportedly injured after the suspect allegedly struck him with his hands.

The victim was taken to Stanford Hospital, where he died hours later, according to the East Palo Alto Police Department. Kunkel said the case is being treated as a potential homicide investigation, and the medical examiner will determine the definitive cause of death. 

While violent crime in East Palo Alto was more common years ago, with the city gaining the title as the “murder capital” in the 1990s, homicide rates have plummeted in recent years. The last homicide reported in the city was in April 2024.