Chicago police have issued a community alert after they say a would-be rapist was foiled by a pair of Good Samaritans who saved a teenager from being attacked near a CTA Orange Line station earlier this week.
The woman was walking from the CTA’s Midway Orange Line station around 1 a.m. Monday when CBS Chicago says a man approached her in the 4600 block of West 59th Street.
According to the Tribune, police say the attacker threw the 18-year-old woman to the ground and hit her in the head before trying to rape her. Two men passing by saw the attack and helped the woman escape, while the attacker fled. Neither of the men who came to the rescue were identified.
Several CTA passengers were surprised to hear of an attack around the normally busy and well-lit station. Others acknowledged the potential threats that can happen anywhere and praised the men who intervened.
"I'm glad, I'm actually satisfied that people actually started to step up because that's happening more and more in different communities," CTA rider Cierrah Dixon told ABC Chicago. "I hope she's OK, honestly, and it's kind of sad that it had to happen, at the same time."
Police describe the suspect as a 5'5" white or Hispanic male, 20-25 years old, weighing 200 pounds with short brown hair, brown eyes and wearing a red baseball cap, red shirt and blue pants.