Woman Fights Off Attempted Assaulter On CTA Train In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — A woman riding a Chicago Transit Authority Yellow Line train through Evanston was attacked early Friday morning.

According to the Evanston Police Department, the woman was on the train at about 1 a.m. on Friday when a man approached her from behind and attacked her unprovoked. The woman told police that the man attempted to forcibly undress her.

When the woman resisted, the man pulled her to the floor and struck her multiple times before fleeing on foot, according to police. Evanston officers were unable to locate the suspect when they arrived in the area of Dodge Avenue and Mulford Street.

Paramedics took the woman to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries and an evaluation before she was released.

Detectives looked at surveillance footage from the train and released photos of the suspect to the public over the weekend. Thanks to multiple public tips, the suspect was identified and taken into custody on Saturday at the Howard Street CTA Station in Chicago.

"The Evanston Police Department thanks the CTA and members of the public whose quick actions aided in the identification and arrest of the suspect," EPD said in a statement.

The suspect, 24-year-old Mekel Gordon, was taken to the police department, where e provided a statement and identified himself in the surveillance video.

Following review of the investigation, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved felony charges of attempted criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery on Monday. Gordon appeared in court in Skokie Monday afternoon.