Chicago police warn Lakeview residents after 2 attempted sexual assaults

CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago police are warning residents after a man attempted to sexually assault two women in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. 

Monday night, around 9 p.m., police said the man grabbed a 25-year-old woman in the 700 block of West Brompton Avenue, and threatened her with a gun. Police said the woman screamed and people nearby stopped the man. 

Just 10 minutes later, in the 800 block of West Buckingham Place, police said the same man grabbed a 23-year-old woman and knocked her to the ground. Police said he got on top of her and made sexually explicit statements. 

She was able to fight him off. 

No arrests have been made and police are searching for the suspect. 

Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) said he's disgusted by the attacks, but grateful to neighbors who stepped in to help the first victim.

"It's always frightening, and it reminds you that you need to be alert and aware, and we all play a role in the safety of our community," he said. "I'm really proud of those neighbors who stepped in to help their neighbor, and I think that it speaks volumes about the community that I have and I'm honored to represent."

Lawson doesn't live far from where the two women were attacked. He said such crimes seem rare in Lakeview, but he hopes the community stays alert.

"As the weather warms, we know incidents go up; and we want to have a great, safe summer for everybody," he said.

The alderman asked people who live nearby to check their home surveillance cameras to see if they might have captured some video that could be helpful to police in their investigation. Lawson also urged neighbors to continue looking after one another.

Anyone with information on the attacks is asked to contact Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8261.