Forest Preserves of Cook County Police are seeking information from the public about an aggravated battery Friday afternoon, May 10, of a woman walking the North Branch Trail. Niles police are also canvassing the area as part of the investigation.
The Cook County Forest Preserve District said a 31-year-old woman was walking the North Branch Trail at Bunker Hill between Touhy Avenue and Howard Street when, at approximately 1:47 p.m., a man on a bicycle approached her and struck her several times with a blunt object. She sustained serious injuries and was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
The offender is described as about 5’6” to 5’8” tall, with a thin build and dark curly hair and a dark complexion, between the ages of 24 and 30 years old. He was riding a short, dark bicycle and wearing a black backpack.
That section of the trail is wooded, but passes near some homes and the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.
Forest Preserve District Police are asking anyone with information to phone them at 708-771-1001. They have mounted increased patrols in the area.
The Forest Preserve District issued a news release encouraging trail users to carry a cell phone with them and keep track of their location by noting street crossings and parking lots along their way.