Burbank attempted sex assault victim: 'I'm not going to be okay for a while'

BURBANK, Ill. (WLS) -- Police in southwest suburban Burbank said a 24-year-old woman was the victim of an attempted sex assault Tuesday evening while she was walking home from work.

The victim, who did not want to be identified, was walking at about 7:45 p.m. when a man she did not know approached her from behind.

"I was home from work and a guy came up from behind me, and grabbed me, and he slammed me to the ground," she said.

It was Tuesday night and pouring rain when she said she hit the ground, violently and without warning.

"He slams me to the ground. I tried to get away once, he pulled me back again and slammed me to the ground again," she said.

As she tried to fight him off, he forced her pants off at which point she started to scream.

"He proceeded to pull my pants down. He was trying to rape me," she said. "It took a while before my scream came out, 'cuz you know, your body goes in shock."

In that moment of sheer terror, she believes she somehow saved herself by screaming. When she finally broke free she ran door to door through the dark neighborhood, ringing doorbells until she found help.

A nearby neighbor told ABC7 Eyewitness News the woman rang their doorbell, desperate for help. While they called 911 and tried to calm the visibly traumatized victim, police said the attacker fled into the dark. He remains at large.

The suspect is described as a black man, approximately 24 years old and about 5 ft. 7 in. tall. He is described as wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt. He was last seen running northbound near 81st and Sayre Avenue.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. But while her body may not bear the scars of the encounter, her mind will.

"I'm not going to be okay for a while but, you know, time heals everything," she said.

If you have any information about this crime, contact the Burbank Police Investigative Unit.