Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Red Line Rider Catches Alleged Upskirt Filmer: 'It's a Total Violation'

 A woman who said she was "upskirted" at the Addison Red Line stop posted about her experience on Reddit.
A woman who said she was "upskirted" at the Addison Red Line stop posted about her experience on Reddit.
View Full Caption
Flickr/ subbu arumugam

LAKEVIEW — A Little Village man was arrested Tuesday night after police and witnesses said he videotaped under a woman's skirt on the Red Line.

Emily Erickson, 26, said she got on the train at Belmont around 6:45 p.m. The Lakeview resident, who's getting married this weekend, was heading home after a long day of work.

"I was completely exhausted and leaning against the partition by the door," she said.

Just before the doors closed, a man jumped on the train and stood next to Erickson.

"He was standing really close to me," Erickson said. "It was a crowded train. There wasn't any room to move inside. ... I didn't think much of it. Then his hand got really close to my pelvic area, and I kind of freaked out."

Erickson, who was wearing a black dress, said she tried to twist away from the man when she noticed what appeared to be a lens in his bag.

She said he carried a black plastic bag "that a liquor store would give you to put your six-pack in."

It appeared to have a hole cut out for a camera that was reinforced by some kind of tape or plastic.

Erickson accused the man of filming her, but he denied it, and pulled his bag away.

"Everyone on the train thought I was the crazy lady who was calling a guy out on something that wasn't happening," Erickson said.

But when the man moved again, Erickson said she spotted the lens once more. She grabbed the bag, found a small video camera inside and started yelling for help.

"The whole time, he was negotiating with me," Erickson said. "He was saying, 'What if I give you the memory card? I want my camera back.'"

When the train arrived at the Addison station, Erickson said, three men and a woman helped her detain the man. Two men cornered the alleged videotaper until police arrived.

Officers arrested Angel Ramirez-Diaz, 36, and charged him with misdemeanor videotaping through clothes. Ramirez-Diaz, who lives in the 2400 block of South Drake Avenue, posted bond and will appear in court on Aug. 15.

"It's a total violation," Erickson said. "I was in complete disbelief. I mean, really, the last time I think I ever heard of upskirting was in the early 2000s in like CosmoGirl or YM — a cautionary tale article. I didn't think people even did that anymore."

Erickson said she was exceptionally grateful for the four citizens who stopped to help her, but surprised at how few others seemed to care. People even backed away from her on the train.

"For how many people passed by, it's a little disappointing to know that only four people ... would do something about it," Erickson said. "I was yelling 'Help,' 'Call the police,' 'Get the conductor, 'This man's been taking upskirt photos of me.' Surprisingly, that last one doesn't work too well."

Erickson said she plans to attend the court hearing in August.

"It's been a little bit of a hectic week already," said Erickson, whose wedding is slated for Saturday. "So I hope this brings me some decent wedding Karma."

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: