EVANSTON, Ill. – A 24-year-old homeless man has been charged after police say he attacked and tried to sexually assault a woman riding a CTA Yellow Line train in Evanston last week.
What we know:
The incident happened around 1 a.m. Friday while the train was near Dodge Avenue and Mulford Street.
Evanston police said Mekel Gordon approached a woman from behind, grabbed her, and tried to forcibly undress her.
When the woman resisted, he allegedly pulled her to the floor and struck her multiple times. Police said he fled on foot when the victim fought back. She was treated at a local hospital and later released.
Eventually, detectives obtained surveillance video of the suspect and shared an alert asking for the public’s help.
The next day, around 10:30 a.m., callers reported seeing a man matching the suspect’s description at the Howard Street CTA Station in Chicago. Evanston and Chicago police responded and detained the man who was wearing clothing similar to the suspect. He later admitted involvement, police said.
What’s next:
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the following charges against Gordon:
- One felony count of aggravated attempted criminal sexual assault
- Two felony counts of aggravated battery
He was scheduled to appear at the Skokie Courthouse for a detention hearing on Monday afternoon.
The Source: The information in this article came from the Evanston Police Department.
