CHICAGO — A Buena Park man charged with a spate of Downtown armed robberies is also accused of raping a disabled man earlier this month in Grant Park, and will be back in court Wednesday, prosecutors said.
Allen McDowell, 23, of the 4000 block of North Sheridan Road, was arrested last week with the Ventra card of a man with cerebral palsy who says he was raped Feb. 2 in the Downtown park, prosecutors said.
The details came to light Friday, when McDowell and five others were charged with various crimes in Cook County Circuit Court. McDowell was charged with armed robbery, robbery, aggravated battery to a transit employee/rider, aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated armed robbery.
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Prosecutors allege McDowell met the 26-year-old rape victim Downtown, where they shared a cigar and alcohol in an alley.
The pair then headed to Grant Park, where McDowell threatened the victim with a heavy object and told the man he'd killed people before, according to prosecutors. McDowell allegedly raped the man and forced him to perform oral sex before stealing the victim's wallet, cellphone and Ventra card.
The victim reported the crime to police, and a rape kit was collected at a nearby hospital, prosecutors said. The victim's condition is not known. A Chicago Police News Affairs officer did not have an immediate comment on the alleged rape.
McDowell and five others would continue a string of Downtown robberies and batteries last week until Feb. 10, when they were arrested. In one robbery, the offenders beat a CTA passenger with a hammer until he lost consciousness.
McDowell was ordered held on $2 million after being charged Friday. His next hearing is Wednesday.
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