Man accused of sexually assaulting woman downtown, SLCPD looking for additional victims

SALT LAKE CITY — Police are looking for possible additional victims after a man was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in downtown Salt Lake City.

According to a release from the Salt Lake City Police Department, at approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday, a woman “flagged down a person to report a suspicious circumstance. ”

Police said the victim accepted a ride from a stranger, who then allegedly sexually assaulted the victim. The suspect was then accused of driving the victim into a parking lot in Salt Lake City, “where he is accused of sexually assaulting the woman again.”

“Fortunately, that woman was able to again flag down community members and let them know that something had happened and to alert our officers and medical personnel,” Salt Lake City Police spokesperson Brent Weisberg said.

SLCPD reportedly began its investigation near 100 S. West Temple Street, and identified the suspect as Joshua Palacios.

Detectives believe this may not be an isolated incident.

“Anytime we get a case like this, and then we find out that this may have occurred before, that’s obviously concerning,” SLCPD Detective Michael Ruff said. “There’s a pattern of behavior here. In this case, we have somebody who was just trying to get a ride into the city and was taken advantage of by someone they thought they could trust.”

Police asked that anyone with information or anyone who believes they had a similar encounter with Palacios contact SLCPD detectives by calling 801-799-3000.

“They have reasonable suspicion to believe that the suspect in this case has had similar incidents before, where he picked up different women and then sexually assaulted them in his vehicle. So we are now asking community members, anyone who has experienced, gone through something like this, who has not already reported it to police, to please come forward,” Weisberg said.

According to police, the department would not release additional information about the suspect or “associated vehicle,” in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Palacios was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he faces charges for two counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of unlawful detention, according to the release.

Weisberg said that because Palacios is in jail, they’re not worried about any ongoing danger to the community.

“The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes that sexual violence involving an unknown attacker can increase alarm within our community,” police said in a release. “While these types of cases are fortunately rare in Salt Lake City, when they do occur, our officers and detectives are committed to conducting thorough investigations and supporting survivors through trauma-informed approaches.”

The victim’s identity was not released.

Contributing: Dan Rascon, KSL TV and Don Brinkerhoff, KSL NewsRadio

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If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Help Line at 1-801-736-4356 (English) or 1-801-924-0860 (Spanish). You can also call the Rape Recovery Center office line during office hours at 801-467-7282 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.