Oak Park Police Release Sketch Of Suspected Attacker
UDATED: 4/13/2011 9:45 p.m.
OAK PARK (CBS) -- A serial robber has been terrorizing women in Oak Park, but one of the victims was able to provide enough information for police to create a sketch of the suspect.
Lisa Dodge has bruises from the attack, but she says she's not afraid to seek justice, CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports.
"I mean, he got $100," she said. "But he almost killed me."
Because she got a good look at her attacker, Oak Park police released a sketch of a suspect.
The attack against Dodge happened April 4 around 11:30 p.m. as she left a cab to enter her apartment building.
"I did notice somebody walking up the street," she said. "But he was dressed normally."
Dodge, who runs an art gallery, said while she walked into her courtyard, the man was probably hidden inside a doorway when he suddenly confronted her.
He said "all I want is your money. And I said I don't have any money," Dodge said.
"He jumped me, he started strangling me. He threw me to the ground and started basically trying to kill me for my purse."
All of the attacks have happened late at night, around midnight, near the busy intersection of Lake Street and Ridgeland Avenue.
The three women were all grabbed from behind and choked in separate attacks within a half mile of each other.
Police have stepped up patrols at the intersection, located only a few blocks from Oak Park-River Forest High School. The other two attacks happened on March 30 and April 2.
"The other two incidents are similar in nature in his actions with the whole choke hold and coming from behind," said Oak Park Police Cmdr. LaDon Reynolds. "But we don't have any evidence to conclusively say that he's the suspect in all those cases."
In all three attacks, the man demanded contents from the victims' purses, including credit cards, cash and phones.
