A woman was sexually assaulted Saturday after being promised shelter and brought to a homeless encampment in the South Loop.
About 7:45 a.m., the woman was standing about at a Greyhound bus station at 630 W. Harrison St. when she was approached by a man on a Divvy bike who offered to help her find shelter, according to a community alert from Chicago police.
The man took her to a known homeless encampment below the Interstate 290 overpass in the 400 block of South Des Plaines Street and sexually assaulted her, police said.
She was taken to a hospital for treatment and will require surgery to treat her injuries, police said.
The man was described as between 20 and 29-years-old, with a slim build, short dark hair, a dark complexion and facial hair, police said. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with white lettering, black pants, a black baseball cap and gray shoes with orange soles.
Police said the man is believed to be homeless and lives in the encampment where the assault took place, police said.
Another woman reported being sexually assaulted at the encampment in April and a man was shot to death by a fellow resident of the camp during an argument over a heater in February.
The encampment, called “Tent City,” is home to between 15 and 40 people at any given time, according to residents. City officials cleared the encampment with bulldozers in March, which temporarily displaced some residents.
Anyone with information is asked to call Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.
