Little Village neighbors come to woman's rescue during alleged attack

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman was on her way to work Friday morning when she said two men pulled up in a car and tried to abduct her near 27th and Keeler.

The woman fought the offenders off and neighbors heard her screams and came to her aid.

Cell phone video shows the alleged attacker struggling to escape but neighbors wouldn't let go. Moments earlier the woman's screams had rattled the neighborhood.

"I woke up scared. It was almost like someone was trying to kill her because she was screaming really loud. She was screaming, "Help me! Help me!" Irma Ruiz, a neighbor, said.

The alleged abduction happened around 8 a.m. Friday. The 20-year-old female victim told ABC7 she was walking to a bus stop when a man snuck up on her and grabbed her from behind attempting to carry her off.

She said she fell to the ground and was dragged for several yards until she grabbed onto a wrought-iron fence.

Eberardo Delapaz was one of the people that helped the victim by helping to subdue the suspect.

"There was no time to get dressed up or nothing, so I ran outside," he said.

At one point, the man breaks free and runs into the street, bumping into a stopped vehicle, but he didn't get far. He was caught down the block after a neighbor, who is just 14, chases him down.

Delapaz and other neighbors held on until police arrived.

"The guy was saying he wasn't doing nothing. He was like, 'Why are you guys holding me down? Let me go! Let me go!' and we're like, "No, dude, you're going to stay here until the cops get here," he said.

The woman says she suffered scrapes on her back and leg but she wasn't seriously injured. She said she's grateful to those who came to her aid.

"This is a community watch neighborhood, so all the neighbors, we communicate with each other. So this block is pretty safe, I consider it," Delapaz said.

Police say the 35-year-old suspect is in custody, and charges are pending.