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University of Chicago sexual assault case: A timeline of events
A 21-year-old woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago campus last weekend.
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A 21-year-old woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago campus last weekend. The woman reported the assault to police and went to a hospital for treatment, according to Chicago police.
The incident comes at a time when the alleged gangrape at Cornell University has sparked a nation-wide conversation about sexual assault on campus.
(Also read: Cornell suspends fraternity parties, brings in state police amid scrutiny over 2024 rape allegations)
What happened at the Chicago frat house?
The Chicago Sun-Times, citing the police report, said the woman told police she had been drinking and dancing at the party before she began feeling unwell. Shortly afterwards, two of the woman's friends found her “not fully conscious” in a bathroom with a man. They say that both were partially undressed.
The man was later described to the police as a South Asian male.
The friends told police that to get into the bathroom, they had to force their way through several men who were “cheering and appearing to encourage the activity inside,” the Sun-Times reported.
Men ‘cheered’ outside bathroom
Mia Lara, one of the woman’s friends, said that when she reached the bathroom, she saw the man’s friends “banging on the door,” “cheering,” and saying, “they want to get in there.”
The men outside the bathroom told Lara that her friend and the man were inside. One of them told Lara and her other friend, who were trying to get inside the bathroom, that they were “just having fun” and not to worry.
Friends rescue sexual assault victim
According to CNN, Lara said she found a way to break into the bathroom although the door was locked.
She found her friend slumped on the bathroom floor, partially clothed, saying “get me out of here” and “I don’t want to be here”.
Lara told the man that he needed to get out of there, but he initially refused to leave. Instead, he began to approach Lara and the other friend who had broken into the bathroom. Lara said she started kicking his legs.
The man’s friends eventually managed to pull him away. Lara then helped her friend get dressed and got her out of the party, which was taking place at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house, located a short distance from the University of Chicago campus.
A timeline of events:
Sunday, October 11: The alleged incident of sexual assault takes place around 1:50 am at the off-campus Alpha Epsilon Pi residence.
Sunday, October 11: The incident is reported to campus police at 2:10 am. According to the university daily crime log: “A victim reported they were sexually assaulted by an unknown suspect while at a party in the off-campus residence.”
Tuesday, October 13: The University of Chicago announced that a person of interest has been identified. The person, who is not a student of the university, has been banned from campus.
As per information reported to the Chicago Police Department and University of Chicago Police Department: “Eyewitnesses described the suspect as a 5’7” South Asian male with dark complexion, short hair on the sides and longer curly hair on top.”
(Also read: University of Chicago identifies person of interest in reported sexual assault at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house)
