An attack by a Norwood Park man who allegedly raped and choked his 19-year-old former girlfriend until she was unconscious was stopped by an off-duty UIC police officer who intervened after hearing the woman’s screams, Cook County prosecutors said today.
The officer from the University of Illinois at Chicago tried to pull the screaming woman Sunday from a car driven by Diego Rodriguez, 20, in an alley behind his home, prosecutors said. Rodriguez had taped the woman’s mouth shut and was attempting to bind her wrists together when the victim saw the officer, pulled the tape off her mouth and began to scream, according to an arrest report.
As Rodriguez pulled the woman into his white Honda Accord and began to speed away, the officer was thrown from the moving vehicle, said Assistant State’s Attorney Beth Novy. Rodriguez’s ex-girlfriend was also thrown from the vehicle a short time later when he made a sharp turn, Novy said.
The attack began Saturday when Rodriguez picked up his ex-girlfriend, who had broken off their two-year relationship earlier this month, Novy said.
As Rodriguez drove the two of them downtown, the woman fell asleep and woke to find Rodriguez on top of her and her pants and underwear pulled down, Novy said. Rodriguez then choked her until she blacked out, she said.
Rodriguez later sexually assaulted the woman, choked her until she was unconscious again and then drove into an alley behind his home in the 6300 block of West Raven Street, Novy said.
He put a piece of tape over her mouth and ordered her out of the car, she said. When the off-duty police officer drove down the same alley, the woman pulled the tape from her mouth and screamed, Novy said.
The off-duty female officer saw Rodriguez trying to pull the victim from the vehicle, according to an arrest report. She ran toward the car and announced she was a police officer and Rodriguez grabbed his ex-girlfriend’s arm and began trying to pull her back into the vehicle, Novy said.
Rodriguez bit the woman’s arm and stabbed her torso with a pair of scissors as the officer ran up and grabbed hold of the victim and tried to pull her away as Rodriguez began to drive away, the prosecutor said.
The officer lost her grip and was thrown from the vehicle, suffering bruises, cuts and pain in her left shoulder. The victim was flung from the car when Rodriguez made a sharp turn moments later.
Both women were taken to Resurrection Hospital for treatment, Novy said.
Rodriguez was taken into custody Sunday afternoon by the Chicago Police Fugitive Apprehension Section and made admissions about the incident to detectives, she said.
He appeared in court using crutches with a cast on his right leg. An arrest report said Rodriguez reported breaking his right ankle last week before the incident.
Rodriguez is charged with one count each of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery to a police officer and unlawful restraint.
His attorney said Rodriguez has lived in Chicago for five years and is a student at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines.
Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil ordered him held on $800,000 bail.
Tribune reporter Rosemary Regina Sobol contributed.
