By Town Crier Staff

During a surprise ambush last week, a man concealed in bushes near Oak School groped a Los Altos mother as she walked to pick up her child after school.

The woman told police the man popped out of the bushes in front of a home on Oak Avenue near Marinovich Way as she walked past.

He lunged at her and grabbed her between the legs before casually walking back to his car parked down the street.

“He groped her and nonchalantly walked to his vehicle and sped away,” Sgt. John Hughmanick said.

The woman chased after the car yelling.

He drove away in a mid-1980s blue Buick or Oldsmobile, Hughmanick said.

Witnesses saw the man in the area but didn’t see him grab the woman, Hughmanick said. The man faces misdemeanor sexual battery charges.

The woman said the man was in his mid-30s, about 5-feet-6-inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing dark baggy pants and a dark baseball cap backward.

Anyone with information should call the Los Altos Police Department at 947- 2770.