Chicago Police search for man groping women from motorized skateboard
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Police are looking for a man accused of groping women while riding a motorized skateboard. They say he has assaulted at least two women, and police even issued a community alert. However, CBS 2 found there are more victims.
CBS 2's Marybel Gonzalez tracked down at least two other women not listed in that community alert who say they have also been victims of this same person and one man who said he tried to run after him.
These are just a few of the people who have come forward. Many others have posted about their experiences online, and they fear that if this person is not detained there could be many more.
"It makes me so angry that this guy is just doing something that takes seconds, but it has the effect to ruin someone's life forever," said Paige Ruhnke.
Ruhnke said on May 11 she was walking her dog on the Navy Pier flyover when she lived an experience that still haunts her to this day.
"I was groped from behind from this man under my shorts," she said. "I yelled at him afterwards.He did it, but of course he just laughed and kept going."
She said a man on a one-wheeled motorized skateboard asaulted her and then sped away as quickly as he had approached her.
"The sooner he can get caught the better because I don't want this happening to anyone else," she said.
But it has. Chicago Police said it has happened to at least two other women, most recently on the morning of Aug. 6 in the 1100 block of South State Street and another time on June 1 in the 400 block of West Lake Street around the same time of day.
Both incidents involve a man wearing a white helmet, sunglasses and a backpack who is riding a single wheel electric skateboard. Both times he approached women and grabbed their behinds and genitalia.
Adrian Gutierrez said he encountered that same man on Aug. 4 on 9th and Michigan when the suspect allegedly groped a teenage girl right in front of him.
"She was so upset and her mom didn't know what to do and I was like, we're going to try to catch the guy," he said.
He said he ran after him, chasing him for a few blocks before he got away, but he hopes it's not for long.
"It sucks to see things like this happening to innocent people," Gutierriz said.