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| Passengers detained Nawaz (inset) at North-Clyborn | Station image: Kevin Zolkiewicz |
Minutes after posting a string of disturbing Facebook and Twitter messages, an Evanston man grabbed a 15-year-old girl’s breasts as they rode a CTA Red Line train last week, prompting other passengers to rise up and hold him for cops at the North and Clybourn station, according to court records and online accounts.
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| Less than 30 minutes before Nawaz’s arrest, this post appeared on Facebook | Facebook |
A series of troubling posts leading up to the incident appear to show the alleged offender making repeated comments about sex and girls–even citing a recent case in which another man molested a teen girl on a CTA bus.
Train Assault
A teen girl was seated with her mother on the Red Line around 9:45 p.m. on May 2 when 25-year-old Gibran Nawaz walked up next to her and fondled her breasts through her sweater, witnesses told police.
Three male passengers confronted Nawaz with one announcing “you just can’t do that,” according to a police report.
Nawaz exited the train at North and Clybourn, followed quickly by a Chicago man and two tourists from Los Angeles who detained him for authorities.
Prosecutors charged Nawaz with felony aggravated battery in a public place and a judge set bail at $100,000. He is due back in court on June 2.
Bizarre Posts
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| A series of troubling Tweets appeared on a new account under the name “Gibran Nawaz” starting on May 1. |
There are disturbing signs on Facebook and Twitter that Nawaz was struggling with sex-related thoughts for hours before he allegedly fondled the girl.
On the morning of the assault, a new Facebook account for “Gibran Nawaz” launched with a long, graphic post about sex, rape, and hidden messages.
“Please arrest all threat makers, rapists, and molestors [sic],” Nawaz write about 12 hours before being arrested.
Nawaz identifies himself in the post as a college student who is living in a hotel near the Belmont Red Line station.
“They do arrest rapists, just call 911. Here is a recent arrest,” he wrote before linking to a Chicago Tribune story about a 79-year-old man who allegedly fondled a 14-year-old girl onboard a CTA bus days earlier.
Unlike the 79-year-old man, who escaped when a fellow passenger showed him how to operate the bus’ emergency exit, Nawaz was detained by Good Samaritans who decided to step in.
