A 17-year-old has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and kidnapping after police said he raped a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint in a Ravenswood Manor alley last November. Police announced on Mar. 25 that Gerson Castillo Flores faces the charges following his arrest.
The case is significant as it involves serious allegations of violence against minors, drawing attention to public safety concerns in the area.
According to court documents from Cook County State’s Attorney’s prosecutors, two 15-year-old girls were walking together on Nov. 21 when they noticed two males following them. One of the males, identified as Flores, was wearing a ski mask. The girls tried to escape but were chased for about two blocks before one tripped and was caught by the suspects.
Prosecutors said Flores pointed a gun at one girl’s chest and walked her into an alley where he raped her. During the assault, she managed to text her friend her location and reported being raped. The other male allegedly held the second girl at knifepoint while entering the alley with her.
Surveillance footage captured Flores leading the victim into the alley at gunpoint. Afterward, a man walking his dog saw what was happening and called 911 while Flores left the scene. Neighbors assisted both girls afterward by bringing them into their home where they contacted police and their mothers.
Police tracked down surveillance footage showing where both suspects went after leaving the scene, which led them to a car near Western and Lawrence avenues connected to an earlier traffic stop that year involving men matching their descriptions. Officers provided photos from that stop to victims and witnesses for identification purposes.
Flores was arrested Tuesday in the 6000 block of North Lincoln Avenue and admitted committing the rape during questioning by officers, according to prosecutors. He is being charged as an adult due to his age at arrest; no other arrests or charges have been announced.
