CHICAGO — A West Side man has been charged in the "brazen" attack of a University of Illinois at Chicago student, officials said.
Tavares Humphries, of the 3300 W. Lexington St., is facing five felony charges that he attacked the woman while she was showering in her dorm Monday morning, said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the school.
Humphries, 28, is accused of attacking the student in the showers about 10 a.m. at Commons South, 700 S. Halsted St. He was apprehended by students who restrained him until university police arrived, Burton said.
Humphries, who is not affiliated with the school, was charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of battery to a police officer and one count of residential burglary, Burton said.
The suspect is expected to appear in bond court Tuesday afternoon, Burton said.
On Monday, Burton praised fellow students who live in the dorm, calling them "heroic" after they heard the female student being assaulted and called for help.
They also restrained Humphries when he tried to flee and waited for UIC police to arrive and arrest Humphries, Burton said.
It's still unclear how the attacker gained entry to the dorm; an investigation is pending and will utilize the extensive network of video surveillance both inside and outside the campus, Burton said.
"I'm sure we'll find out how he was able to access the building," Burton said, adding that the suspect has no affiliation with the school.
Burton said the school added a 24-hour security check was instituted immediately after the assault.
"There are morning procedures, and there are evening procedures," Burton said. "Evening procedures were implemented around the clock [Monday] morning."
Outside the coed dorm Monday, Deenal Amin and her friend Sheryl Mathews expressed worries about security.
"It's scary knowing it was so easy for him to get in," Amin said. "There's security here, and they still got in."
Mathews said that before Monday's change in security procedure, identity checks were only being conducted after 7 p.m.
"Honestly, I wasn't surprised at all," Mathews, a 21-year-old Commons South resident, said of the break-in. "It's so easy for people to walk in and do what they want to. [The school] should work on hiring more staff."
