In Latest Attack On Female Cyclists In South Loop, Man In SUV Tried To Steal Victim's Bag As She Biked

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jun 6, 2017 3:40PM

1400 block of South Wabash Avenue / Google Maps

For the second time in three days, a woman was attacked while biking in the South Loop. In the most recent attack, someone tried to steal a cyclist's bag as she rode on early Tuesday morning, according to police.

A woman, 32, was biking in the 1400 block of South Wabash Avenue at around 1:10 a.m. when a black SUV pulled alongside and a man riding in the vehicle grabbed the woman's backpack, according to police. The cyclist "refused to let go" and wrestled the bag back from the attacker, a police spokesperson told Chicagoist.

The victim suffered minor injuries and declined EMS treatment at the scene, and no suspects were in custody as of Tuesday morning, according to police.

As ABC7 notes, a woman was attacked and robbed as she biked through the South Loop just two days earlier. On Sunday afternoon, a woman was biking on a Divvy near South Calumet Avenue and East 21st Street when someone hopped out of a silver car, punched the victim in the face and stole her bag, according to police and reports.

Police did not say if the two attacks were related. The Chicago cycling community meanwhile urged caution and vigilance.

It's been a bad short week for cyclists in Chicago. 56-year-old man Louis Smith was struck and killed while biking in East Garfield Park on Monday night.