Sep 22, 2008 11:08 am US/Central
Hunt Is On After Teen Reports Brutal Assault
13-Year-Old Girl Says She Was Raped, Beaten In Seward Park
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A 13-year-old girl was brutally beaten and raped in Seward Park on the city's Near North Side over the weekend.
CBS
Residents on the city's Near North Side are on alert Monday morning after a brazen attack reported by a 13-year-old girl at a popular park, as police begin a manhunt for the attackers.
As CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports, the girl said she was beaten and raped sometime between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Seward Park in the 300 block of West Elm Street.
The park is located near the Cabrini-Green public housing development and just a few blocks west of the Gold Coast neighborhood and the trendy Rush and Division Street nightclub district.
People who live in the area say the park is usually quiet at night, and empty by 10 p.m. Police prefer to get people out. But between 4 and 5:30 p.m., it is usually packed with people.
When asked if there were problems in the area, Near North resident Tino said, "The bad people come out at night, really."
But B.T. Gregory has lived in the neighborhood for 51 years. He says on a nice night, Seward Park is usually filled with people and nearby Division Street has a lot of traffic, so making a brazen attack like this is especially shocking.
"I don't even see how something like that is possible, but I guess here in Chicago anything can happen," Gregory said.
"I really don't believe it," another resident said, "because nothing like this has ever happened in this park."
Still, women who live and walk in the area say an attack like this is a reminder to put safety first.
"I think in general, you just have to be more aware and concerned and know what area you're in and just be smart about it," said area resident Katherine Fiske.
Seward Park dates from 1908, and for many years in the latter half of the 20th century, it was located in the shadow of Cabrini-Green high-rises. But the park was expanded and spruced up after several nearby buildings were demolished, and has since become a popular venue with people playing sports and kids participating in Chicago Park District programs.
Police said they will begin alerting residents by passing out flyers. They also hope to work with the victim to compose a drawing of the attackers.
The condition of the victim is not known.
CBS 2's Joanie Lum and Dana Kozlov contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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