Evanston, Illinois, police investigate 2 sex offenses in same general area

Evanston police on Tuesday said they are investigating two sex offenses involving a masked man approaching a woman in the north Chicago suburb.

The incidents both occurred in the southern part of Evanston on Monday.

At 12:37 a.m. Monday, officers were called to Custer Avenue and Brummel Street after a woman said she was walking north on Custer Avenue when a man riding a bicycle pulled up. The man grabbed the woman's buttocks and rode west on Brummel Street, police said.

Brummel Street is a city block north of Howard Street, where Evanston meets Chicago in that area. Custer Avenue is the southern Evanston extension of Chicago's Damen Avenue.

The man who grabbed the woman was described as about 5 feet 5 inches tall, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, black jeans, and a black ski mask. He was riding a black mountain-style bike, police said.

Around 9:10 p.m. Monday, officers were called to Sherman Avenue and South Boulevard after a woman reported a man had walked toward her with his pants down and exposing himself. The man did not touch or injure the woman, who ran into her apartment and called 911, police said.

The second scene was only about half a mile north of the first, but the suspect descriptions were different. The man in the second incident was described as being about 6 feet tall with a  thin build, wearing all-black clothing and a black ski mask.

While officers investigated the second incident, the woman from the first reported seeing someone she believed was the man who attacked her in the area of Custer Avenue and Howard Street. Officers looked for the man, but did not find him.

Detectives on Tuesday were reviewing video and following available leads. Evanston police said additional officers will also be deployed to patrol in south Evanston.