WICKER PARK — A woman said she was raped by a man who forced her into an alley during Wicker Park Fest, police said Thursday.
The criminal sexual assault happened at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, according to Officer Ana Pacheco, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman.
A 24-year-old woman took herself to St. Anthony Hospital, where she told police an unknown man armed with a knife forced her into an alley, where there was another man waiting.
Pacheco said both men were described by the victim as 20 to 25 years old.
The first man, who forced the woman into the alley and raped her, has "a fade haircut," Pacheco said. The second man, who wore dreadlocks, did not assault the woman, she said.
The victim was listed in good condition, Pacheco said.
The fest, located in the 1400-1600 blocks of North Milwaukee Avenue, had portable bathrooms next to an alley in the 1400 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
Officials from Criterion Productions, which produces the annual fest in partnership with the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, were not immediately available for comment. A spokesperson for the Chamber also did not return a call seeking comment.
First Ward Ald. Joe Moreno said he has been advocating for more security in Wicker Park and that there "needs to be a tighter correlation" between the festival's hired security and Chicago police.
Area North detectives are investigating. Anyone with information should call 312-744-8261 and reference the location, date and time.
