Chicago police have issued a warning after a woman was robbed and sexually assaulted in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the city's North Side.
Around midnight early Sunday, a woman was attempting to enter a home in the 1900 block of N Orchard St when an unknown offender approached her from behind, police said in a community alert.
The man was armed with a knife, authorities said, and sexually assaulted the victim before fleeing the scene with her property.
No one is in custody and authorities continue to investigate. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact detectives at (312) 747-8380.
Sunday's attack was the third sexual assault reported on the city's North Side in less than two weeks.
Authorities are investigating a possible connection between the first two incidents, which they believe may have been committed by the same offender.
The most recent of those attacks occurred just steps from Wrigley Field in the city’s Wrigleyville neighborhood Thursday night.
Local
A 24-year-old woman told police she was in the back of her apartment building in the 3700 block of N. Fremont St. around 8:30 p.m. when a man approached her and pulled out a gun. [[415892923, C]]
He then demanded her belongings and forced her into the trunk of her blue 2012 Mazda, where he sexually assaulted her, officials said.
Police said the suspect then took off on an hour-and-a-half joyride that spanned more than 20 miles, all while the woman was locked inside the trunk of the vehicle. He made several stops attempting to withdraw money from ATMs, according to police, before crashing the vehicle into a tree in the 11500 block of S. Throop St. on the city’s Far South Side.
Authorities said that is when the woman said she used the emergency trunk release to free herself, fleeing the scene. [[415893043, C]]
A similar incident occurred just 10 days before in the city’s Lake View neighborhood.
Around 12 a.m. on Feb. 28, a 25-year-old woman was walking to her car in the 1200 block of W. Barry Ave. when a man approached her and displayed a handgun, according to a community alert from Chicago police. [[415932393, C]]
The man then demanded the victim give him all her money, authorities said. She complied, at which point he then forced her into her vehicle and sexually assaulted her before fleeing on foot.
“We do know that this person left a gun in the car, and the detectives are looking at that evidence for any fingerprints to help catch this person,” 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman said of Thursday’s incident. [[415151943, C]]
“It’s horrific and the police commander himself said he’s not seen this before,” Cappleman added. “But we take this very seriously and we want to catch this person.”
Police have increased patrols in the area in the wake of the assaults and are warning area residents to be alert and aware of their surroundings.
No one is in custody in connection with the first two incidents, and anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (312) 744-8261.
