Report: Many Other Victims Claim Assault By Officers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A woman's allegation last week that she was sexually assaulted by two Chicago Police officers may be the tip of the iceberg, according to a new report.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, Michael Sneed reported in the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday morning that Chicago Police investigators have been talking to other women – more than four – who allege that two Town Hall District police officers who were implicated in a sexual assault last week, assaulted them as well.
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A source tells Sneed that the situation might amount to a case of "police predators."
The officers are under investigation for claims that they sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman after offering a ride back to her Rogers Park neighborhood home. CBS 2's Suzanne LeMignot reported last week other women had reported similar allegations in the past but at the time refused to proceed with the case against the officers.
The woman in the most recent case said the officers found her walking outside Wednesday night near Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street.
According to a police report, the woman was crying while walking outside after leaving a male friend's home where they had been drinking and arguing.
At some point, a marked Chicago Police Tahoe SUV approached with two male officers inside. They offered the woman a ride home, and she accepted, according to the report.
The woman told police that during the ride, she had sex with one of the officers in a passenger seat of the SUV and that she did not say "no," according to the report.
When they arrived at her apartment in the Rogers Park neighborhood, all three went inside, where they played strip poker and she had sex with one officer in her bed. But she began banging on her wall with her hands hoping to catch her neighbors' attention, saying she felt intimidated by the officers and was afraid to say "no" to their sexual advances, the report said.
She eventually ran from her apartment screaming and pounding on a male neighbor's door, who didn't answer. Another neighbor, a woman, saw her and called police, prompting an initial response about 3 a.m. for a "person calling for help."
When the male neighbor finally opened his door after hearing the commotion, he told police he saw a naked man running down the hallway and another man dressed in a Chicago Police uniform walking away, according to the report.
Police sources say the officers left behind mock turtleneck collars with the letters CPD embroidered on them, a cell phone, and a police belt-keeper. The victim was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment.
Reached by phone Friday, the woman declined to speak to CBS 2's Mai Martinez about the incident.
A third officer was also relieved of his police powers last week for alleged misconduct.
That officer, who is a partner of the original two accused and is assigned to the same police car, was not on duty that morning. But according to police sources, that officer was present during at least one of two alleged similar incidents that occurred in the past involving his two partners, the Sun-Times reported, citing sources.
