A witness who reported intervening when her friend was allegedly being sexually assaulted at a frat party near the University of Chicago campus said a group of men cheered on the alleged attacker outside the bathroom where the assault took place.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear for her safety and the alleged victim’s safety, told NBC Chicago she was at a party at Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity’s Lambda Chapter when a friend called her over to a bathroom and reported another friend was locked inside with a man.
The woman said a group of men were “laughing and cheering” on the incident from outside the bathroom. When she attempted to go inside, the door was locked. She said the girls picked the lock and opened the door to find a naked man alongside her friend, who was on the ground with some of her clothes removed.
As the woman began yelling at the man, the group and the individual fled.
“I made him get off of her and told him like to leave and to get away and then he like was trying to act like he didn’t do anything,” she said. “And then I helped her put her clothes on and then I had to kind of help her walk out- me and my friend as like human crutches.”
She said she then confronted the man and chased him as he ran from the scene. They also flagged down police.
In an email to students, campus officials said the 21-year-old victim, who isn’t affiliated with the university, was attending a party at the house at the time of the alleged attack.
Officials said someone intervened, and the suspect ran from the scene. The victim was subsequently taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.
A person of interest was identified Tuesday and has been banned from school grounds, university officials announced, noting that the fraternities are “not recognized student organizations.” In a message to students, school officials said the unnamed individual was not a U of C student and was not affiliated with the university.
The house where the incident happened is associated with Alpha Epsilon Pi, whose national organization has said it is cooperating with the investigation, writing, in part, “Pending the results of that investigation, the chapter has been told to not hold any events or programs…Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity unconditionally opposes, and its conditions of membership absolutely prohibit, any conduct considered as ‘sexual harassment’ or ‘sexual assault.'”
The Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity Lambda Chapter said it was “deeply disturbed by the sexual assault,” writing “we condemn this violence unequivocally.”
“Our concern is first and foremost for the person harmed, whose privacy and dignity we ask everyone to respect,” the fraternity said in a statement.
The local chapter of the fraternity said the alleged suspect was chased out of the building and “captured on cameras as they fled.” The group said they were working with police to provide information in the case.
“We became aware of the situation through one of our sober monitors being called over by the victim’s friend,” the statement read. “We immediately responded and multiple members of the fraternity, including our risk manager, arrived at the scene, providing assistance to the victim. A member stayed with the victim until the necessary authorities arrived, only leaving after the police had asked him to do so. The party was shut down immediately following our notice of the events. We will continue to support the investigation to the fullest extent and offer our support in any way possible.”
The fraternity said no one affiliated with the group “was involved or complicit with the incident.”
“Sexual violence has no place in our community. We are committed to cooperating with the investigation and supporting the victim in any way possible,” the statement read.
In the days following the attack, the woman said both she and the alleged victim have received threats online.
She called the situation “emotional, taxing, alarming, disturbing.”
“I’m incredibly worried for my mine and my friend’s safety there’s been disgusting messages, online threats,” she said. “It makes me incredibly disappointed, but not exactly surprised based on the way everything was handled once we left the scene of what happened. It’s just unfortunate and disappointing.”
Chicago police are now leading the investigation into the case. The school said it was not naming the individual until charges were filed.
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