A man tried to sexually assault a woman who was falling asleep on a bench Saturday morning near Union Station, police said. A Metra police officer intervened in the attack but was unable to catch the offender who ran away.
The incident began as the woman, age 62, dozed off while sitting on the 100 block of South Clinton around 3:45 a.m., according to Officer Jessica Rocco, a CPD spokesperson. That’s when she noticed that a man was trying to take a bag from underneath her, Rocco said.
The woman tried to cross the street to get help inside a nearby building — but the man pushed her into the building, forcefully removed her pants, and tried to sexually assault her, according to Rocco.
Multiple witnesses, including Metra police, saw the attack unfold, Rocco said. The Metra officer chased the man on foot but was unable to catch him.
An ambulance crew treated the woman at the scene.
The offender is described as a black man in his 30’s with short hair and scruffy facial hair who stands about 6’1” tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He was barefoot and wore a black shirt with shorts. The man was last seen running north on Clinton and then east through an alley.
Area 3 detectives are investigating the attack.