Woman Robbed Near Evanston CTA Stop
EVANSTON (STMW) -- Evanston police are urging citizens to take precautions against being a victim in the wake of a robbery that occurred shortly after midnight Dec. 26 as a woman was walking home from the South Boulevard el station.
The incident occurred about 12:20 a.m. as the victim, 27, was walking north on the 500 block of Chicago Avenue.
The woman was grabbed by an unknown man and dragged into a gangway, Evanston Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said.
The victim told police that the man pushed her face aside to avoid being seen; he also told her he had a knife and wanted her belongings.
He ended up taking the victim's blue North Face fleece jacket worth about $200, a Dooney & Bourke purse and about $65 in cash, Guenther said.
As the offender ran from the scene, the victim noticed he was accompanied by two other individuals, Guenther said.
Police advise women that if they are walking alone late at night, they should conceal their purses if possible, perhaps wearing them underneath their coat, Guenther said.
People in such circumstances also should consider not wearing headphones and, except in bitter weather, refrain from putting up their jacket hoods so they don't blunt their awareness of someone sneaking up behind them, Guenther said.
In addition, pedestrians who notice they are being followed should consider crossing to the other side of the street or even stopping at an open gas station or convenience store, he said, until they are sure the danger has passed.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
