Man sexually abused woman on Red Line platform, returned to the scene as cops talked to victim: prosecutors

CHICAGO — A South Shore man is charged with sexually abusing a woman as she waited for a Red Line train in the Loop, Chicago police said.

The 39-year-old woman was at the Lake Street station when a man walked up behind her and grabbed her buttocks around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

The woman turned around and told the man that she would hit him if he touched her again. Moments later, the man returned, grabbed the area between the woman’s legs over her clothing, and left the platform, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord said during a court hearing Thursday.

As the police talked with the woman, the man returned to the platform.

“That’s him,” she told the cops, who promptly arrested 25-year-old Corey Harris, McCord said.

CTA cameras recorded the incident.

Corey Harris | Chicago Police Department

During Harris’ bail hearing, McCord said he has a pending misdemeanor retail theft charge and a pending aggravated assault charge for allegedly threatening someone with a screwdriver on the Magnificent Mile last month.

He’s now charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery in a public place. Judge Charles Beach told Harris that he could get out of jail on electronic monitoring by posting a $5,000 bail deposit.

In 2018, Harris was charged with punching a 70-year-old store employee while trying to steal a bottle of Hennessey in Wrigleyville. Originally charged with robbery, he eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of theft and received a sentence of second-chance probation.