Chicago police questioning person of interest in West Loop attempted kidnapping; victim speaks out
'I wanted to block the van, so he couldn't get away,' nearby rideshare driver said of West Loop, Chicago incident
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are questioning a person of interest in connection with an attempted kidnapping in the West Loop over the weekend,
Earlier Tuesday, police released surveillance photos of the man connected with an attempted kidnapping. Three photos show a man, who is about 30 to 40 years old.
He's seen wearing a white baggy sweatshirt with writing on the front and light blue pajama pants.
Authorities are looking for him in connection to an attempted kidnapping in the West Loop.
CPD said he was in a minivan Sunday morning when he grabbed a 45-year-old woman near Sangamon and Adams streets.
As the woman screamed, a rideshare driver with her passenger came to help.
That woman, who did not want to be identified, and those good Samaritans spoke exclusively with ABC News.
"A gentleman gets out of the van, and starts walking towards me, and then I realized something wasn't right, and I started clipping it faster, and then he grabbed me," she said. "So I am screaming, screaming. He's pulling me towards the van. I'm at the door. I'm grabbing the door. He's knocking my head against the door, trying to knock me out."
Thomas James, who was the passenger in the rideshare, and Johnnetta Henderson, who was the driver, came over to block in the minivan.
"I could see a man pulling her into his van," James said. "At that time, I said to Johnnetta, 'let's go over there fast.'"
SEE MORE: Dog walker helps woman escape early morning attempted abduction in West Loop
"I got out of the passenger-side door and started yelling at the assailant, just like, 'hey!' and I think he was distracted or flustered enough that the potential victim was able to free herself and get away," he said.
"When I saw that, I actually put myself in her shoes, and rushed quickly, in case he got her in the vehicle. I wanted to block the van, so he couldn't get away," Henderson said.
The victim is praising the good Samaritans who didn't hesitate to act.
"It takes guts for y'all to do that because, like you were saying, who knows? He could've pulled a gun, and you put your life in jeopardy for me, someone you didn't even know. Both of you are heroes," she said.
This is the second attempted kidnapping in that area in about a month, but police do not believe the two incidents are related.
Police later found the minivan used in the attack.
On Tuesday morning, the president of the Violence Interrupters called on the city to hire his group to help patrol the area.
"We need some help. The police department says they're low on manpower right now; there's a police shortage, so maybe we can kind of supplement the police with violence interrupters to help deter some crime out here in Chicago," Tio Hardiman said.
Anyone with information should call police at (312) 744-8261 or anonymously sublit a tip at CPDTIP.com.
