A Venezuelan immigrant has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a woman on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Elvis Hernandez-Pernalete, also known as Luis Guevara, was charged with assault on campus on March 16. UIC Police investigators say the man allegedly followed a woman as she got off the train at the UIC Halstead Blue Line stop, grabbed her from behind and dragged her to a secluded area. WFLD-TV report.
Authorities accused the suspect of assaulting the victim, stealing her personal belongings and leaving the scene. police report Say.
🚨BREAKING: Elvis Hernandez Pernaletto, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse by force, aggravated assault by strangulation, and robbery.
Hernandez Pernale choked the woman until she lost consciousness, then sexually assaulted her in his home. pic.twitter.com/Mx1rd3q1uG
— I’m a meme, so I’m 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) March 27, 2024
Hernandez Pernalete is accused of a second assault on another woman who was followed and assaulted after she got off the train. Hernandez-Pernalete was also charged in that case with sexual abuse, aggravated assault, robbery and attempted robbery.
The man is charged with two counts of assault, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated assault, robbery and attempted robbery, as well as theft from a retail store in the area.
Officials said Hernandez-Pernalete was seen taking clothes off a rack and stuffing them into a backpack at the TJ Maxx store at 11 North State Street.
The store said the stolen items cost $136.93.
On March 21, a Cook County judge denied pretrial release to Hernandez Pernalete. The judge cited the suspect’s “pattern of attacking victims from trains.”
Chicago has seen an 11,300 percent increase in arrests of Venezuelans since 2021. For example, only six Venezuelans were arrested in the Windy City in 2021. In 2022, that number jumped to 700.
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