Sexual Assault Worries Uptown Residents
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Charges have been filed against a suspect police say severely beat and sexually assaulted a woman early Sunday morning as she was coming home to her Uptown apartment.
Jason Gurneau, 32, is accused of attacking the woman early this morning as she entered her uptown apartment.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley found plenty of concern among women residents in that neighborhood.
Uptown is located on the cusp between grime and glitter, the promised renaissance never quite arrives.
But even among the streetwise here, a sexual assault triggers worry.
When asked if the assault raises concern for her safety, neighbor Gina Guarino said: "Absolutely ... It's a little concerning. Kind of rattles your skin a little bit."
Shortly before 2 a.m., a 33-year-old woman was trying to get into her building, a 6-flat walk-up in the 4400 block of Sheridan, when she was attacked by a man on a bicycle.
Bloody rags and paper towels littered the building entrance, a wisp of crime scene tape on the wrought-iron fence.
The victim was taken to Illinois Masonic with extensive bruising to her head and neck. A neighbor believes he saw police collar the suspect.
"This dude was on a bike and they come up and they tacked and it sounded like they hit him a few times, and they're like, 'Stay on the ground or I'll shoot you in the head,'" said neighbor Ian Gonzalez-Muentener.
The arrest was a relief to many. But Bryson Stewart is still concerned.
"Now I got to worry about her coming home late and getting attacked or robbed or anything," said Stewart.
And Brittney Glenn, who returns home from work in the wee hours, worries about herself.
"So if she's getting attacked at the front door, that makes me feel hesitant about where I'm living," she said.
Women in the neighborhood say the attack is a reminder of the need to be aware of your surroundings and travel in groups, late at night.
