Woman Raped At Knifepoint in Lincoln Park; Several Other Attacks on Women Reported: Police

CHICAGO, IL -- A woman was raped at knifepoint early Sunday morning in Lincoln Park, police said. The incident follows two Lakeview attacks that police believe may be related.

Early Sunday, a woman was attacked as she attempted to enter a home in the 1900 block of North Orchard Street, DNAinfo reported. The attacker allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, then stole some of her belongings before he fled on foot.

That attack comes days after a March 9 incident in which a 24-year-old woman was assaulted and kidnapped in the 3700 block of North Fremont by a man who approached from behind with a handgun and ordered her into a garage, where he demanded she give him all her belongings. After she complied, he ordered her into the trunk of her vehicle before sexually assaulting her. He then drove off in the vehicle with the woman still in the trunk, police said.

>>Attacker Forces Woman Into Trunk, Crashes Car

The kidnapper drove the vehicle nearly 20 miles, making several stops as he attempted to withdraw money from ATMs. He crashed the car into a tree in the 11500 block of South Throop Street and fled on foot, police said. The woman was able to escape and was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, according to police.

Police believe the man involved in the March 9 attack may be the same suspect who assaulted a woman Feb. 28 in Lakeview. In that incident, a 25-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint, then forced into her car and sexually assaulted in the 1200 block of West Barry. The suspect, who had a handgun, fled on foot after the attack, police said.

The attacker in the Feb. 28 incident is described as a 5'8" to 5"10 black male age 25 to 30 weighing 150 to 170 pounds with short black hair, medium complexion, short beard/scruff on his chin and a mole on his face. He was wearing a brown- or green-colored sleeveless vest, black button-down shirt with white markings across the bottom and dark-colored pants, according to police.

The suspect in the March 9 carjacking was described as a 5'10" black male age 25 to 35 weighing 160 to 200 pounds with short black hair, medium complexion, a scruffy goatee and a thin mustache. He was wearing a red zip-up styple jacket with brown khaki pants, police said.

Police did not provide a description of the attacker in Sunday's Lincoln Park incident.

"Both of these incidents are similar and MAY be the same offender; however, this has not been confirmed at this time," police said.

On Friday, police advised residents to be aware of their surroundings and pay special attention to suspicious people loitering in the area and report them to police. "Never pursue a fleeing assailant, provide the information to police," police said in a statement.