A 44-year-old man was arrested Monday and is being charged in connection with the attempted sexual assault of a postal worker who was getting gas for her work vehicle in Little Village over the weekend, according to Chicago police.
Cesar Ramirez, of the 2500 block of West 50th Street, is facing charges including attempted aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery of a government employee and vehicular hijacking, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Judge David Navarro ordered that Ramirez be held without bail during a hearing Wednesday.
Around 9 a.m. Saturday, the 28-year-old female postal worker entered a gas station in the 2800 block of South Pulaski Street to buy snacks, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers said. When she entered the store, she noticed Ramirez, and they were the only customers in the store.
When she finished shopping, she walked up to the counter behind Ramirez as he paid at the register, Rodgers said. The two said good morning to each other and Ramirez told her it was her turn. Ramirez then walked outside and out of view.
The postal worker paid for her snacks and went back into her van, Rodgers said. After driving a short distance, she noticed movement behind her. She turned around and saw Ramirez in the back of the van.
Ramirez grabbed her hair and told her to drive or that he would kill her, Rodgers said. He directed her to drive to a parking lot a few blocks from the station.
Ramirez told her to park and go to the back of the van, Rodgers said. After she went to the back, he told her to remove her clothes. The woman tried to open the back door of her van but Ramirez grabbed her before she was able to open it.
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After fighting, the woman opened the door and tried to leave, but he lunged at her and grabbed her sweatshirt, shirt and bra, Rodgers said. The woman was able to slip out of her clothing and escape.
She ran down the street into an auto body shop, where she was given a shirt and called police, Rodgers said.
Ogden district officers arrived quickly to the scene, and the man fled in her truck, Deenihan said. Officers chased him but he got away. The truck was found not far from the scene.
Police went back to the gas station and found Ramirez’s vehicle, which had mail from the secretary of state on his floorboard in plain sight with his name and address on it, Rodgers said.
Detectives worked with the postal inspector, and they recovered video from the gas station and the area, Deenihan said. Police then released pictures of the suspect to the media.
Family members of Ramirez saw what had happened on the news and recognized him in the photograph and called police to identify him, Rodgers said.
The fugitive unit arrested Ramirez on Monday in the 7100 block of South Ashland Avenue, police said. A lawyer for him could not immediately be identified Wednesday.
Ramirez is a registered sex offender, Rodgers said. He served time on previous convictions including a home invasion, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated battery of a police officer.
“I know this was obviously extremely traumatic for the postal worker, but everybody did a remarkable job getting this defendant into custody very quickly and removing him from the streets,” Deenihan said.
Spencer Block, a postal inspector, thanked the Police Department for its support and partnership while dealing with growing violence against postal service employees.
“Thankfully, our letter carrier is doing OK, but we know that with any violent crime in the city of Chicago, it could’ve gone a different way,” he said. “Thankfully, this one didn’t, and we’re very pleased that we’re able to announce a quick apprehension and quick arrest of the suspect responsible.”
Ramirez’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 14.