Police have released a sketch of a man who is suspected of beating, robbing and trying to sexually assault a woman early this morning in an Edgewater Beach neighborhood alley on the North Side.

The victim was walking in the alley in the 5600 block of North Kenmore Avenue when a man approached her from behind and hit her several times in the head, according to a community alert issued by Area North detectives.

He took her property and tried to sexually assault her during the 5:40 a.m. attack, the alert said.



Police were called to the alley for a battery in progress and found the 30-year-old woman on the ground, bleeding from the head and in a traumatized state, according to a preliminary police report.

Her iPhone was lying nearby in a pile of leaves and had been broken.

She told officers the man grabbed her, put a coat over her head, and dragged her across the alley as she left for work and was on her way to the Bryn Mawr Red Line “L” station, the report said.

A man who lives nearby heard her screaming: "Let go, let go!"

The neighbor saw the man punch her in the face, remove her clothing and go through her pockets, the report said.

The attacker slammed her head on the pavement several times and the neighbor, another man, and a building security officer all ran outside to help her. The attacker yelled in an accented voice to stay away and lunged towards the men before fleeing, the report said.

Paramedics responded and she was admitted to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston with multiple injuries including to the head, the right eye, nose, and knees.

The woman's watch and an earring were taken during the attack.

The alert describes the man as black, between the ages of 18 and 25, 6-feet tall, 175 pounds, and with a dark complexion. He was wearing a white jacket with a red stripe on each shoulder, the alert said.

Anyone with information should contact police at 312-744-8261.

rsobol@tribune.com

Twitter:@RosemarySobol1