Chicago police issued a community alert Friday warning of recent sexual assaults in the Austin neighborhood that were linked to social media apps.
Police said the suspect arranged to meet the victims after coming into contact with them on social media apps. When the victims arrived at the prearranged meeting place, the suspect would pull out a handgun and sexually assault them, police said.
The assaults began in October in the 5600 block of West Washington Boulevard. In the first attack, the suspect met a woman about 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 26. The next attack happened Nov. 11 around 8 a.m. at the same location.
On Dec. 30, the suspect struck again on Washington Boulevard around 1:45 p.m., and again on Feb. 22 at around 10 a.m., police said.
The suspect was described by police as between 26 to 30 years old. He was last seen wearing a black puffy jacket, a gray hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. He also was wearing a black durag.
Anyone with information about the attacks or the suspect should contact detectives at 312-746-8251.
