Sexual Assault Reported During Frat House Party At University Of Chicago

CHICAGO—Chicago police are investigating an alleged sexual assault that took place at a fraternity house over the weekend near the University of Chicago campus in Chicago’s South Side Hyde Park neighborhood.

A 21-year-old woman reported that she was sexually assaulted early Sunday morning in the 5600 block of South University Avenue inside a fraternity house. The Chicago Maroon, the independent student-run campus newspaper, identified the fraternity as the Lambda chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity.

Students learned of the alleged assault via a community alert issued by the university later Sunday afternoon.

According to the Maroon, the woman, who is not affiliated with the university, was attending a party at the AEPi house when the alleged assault occurred around 1:50 a.m. during the party, which started at 10:30 p.m. Another person intervened, and an unidentified male fled the fraternity house, according to the report.

Witnesses described the suspect as "a 5' 7" South Asian male with a dark complexion, short hair on the sides and longer curly hair on top, wearing a black T-shirt, black jogging pants, and white shoes," according to a campus safety alert.

In a statement to the paper, a spokesman for AEPi’s national organization said the fraternity’s headquarters became aware of the incident Sunday afternoon and that the chapter is cooperating with university officials and Chicago police. The chapter has been instructed to not hold any events or programs while the investigation is underway.

“Most importantly, all of AEPi hurts for the person who was the victim in this incident,” the spokesman told the paper. “No one should attend an event on any campus — fraternity-based or otherwise — and have to fear for their safety and wellbeing.”