Possible 'Knockout Game' Suspect Sketch Released by Los Gatos Police

By Sheila Sanchez

A suspect sketch was released Friday afternoon of a man wanted in connection of a possible "knockout game" assault in Los Gatos on Monday.

At about 4:30 p.m. Jan. 6, Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police responded to a call of an assault and battery in the 14000 block of Blossom Hill Road and found a woman had been struck in the face by an unknown suspect who fled the scene on foot.

Since the incident, investigators have continued to work on the case and follow up on leads being developed, police sources said.

That information has helped investigators develop a composite sketch of the suspect described as an African American adult in his early to mid-20s, standing 5-foot-9 to 6-feet tall with a slender build and short brown hair. 

The suspect was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball cap backwards. He remains at large, police said.

Los Gatos residents are asking police if the incident is related to a recent phenomenon known as the "knockout game," where assailants attempt to knock out unsuspecting victims with a single sucker punch for amusement purposes.

The department said it was releasing the sketch with the hope that the public would assist in apprehending the suspect or with additional leads or information about the assault or the assailant.

The victim was a mother dropping off her child for ballet lessons at a strip mall, according to police.

The incident is being investigated as an assault/battery although it has "similar characteristics" to the sick and violent so-called knockout game phenomenon, police spokesman Sgt. Clinton Tada said.

Police said there is no additional information at this time about the crime's motive. 

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the LGMSPD at 408-354-8600.