A River North business owner was sexually assaulted Tuesday as she locked up for the night, authorities said.
Police said the 42-year-old woman was closing shop in the 20-block of East Illinois around 10:15 p.m. when a man pretending to be a customer said he forgot something in the store.
They went back inside and he produced a knife, demanding that the woman go to the back of the store where he sexually assaulted her.
To protect the woman's identity, police haven't released which store she was assaulted in, but the block contains a book store, record store and a restaurant among other businesses. It's located near Trump International Hotel & Tower and a few blocks from Michigan Avenue and State Street.
A man working in the area for the past few months told NBC Chicago he is surprised by the number of what he calls sketchy people in the neighborhood.
"I know if I lived here I'd probably say something about it," said Jeff Liska, who works nearby. "I wouldn't let my two daughters come down to this area."
The attacker was described as a black male between 30 and 40 years old, standing 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 and weighing between 160 and 180 pounds. He was wearing a black T-shirt, brown shoes and blue jeans, and his hair was in an afro style, police said.
The woman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for evaluation.
