Woman claims kidnapping, unlawful restraint in Marina City apartment

23-Oct-12 – A night of bar hopping ended with accusations of kidnapping and unlawful restraint by a woman visiting Marina City last month.

The unidentified woman says she was at the Subway restaurant at Marina City with a friend at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 9, when they met a man sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. The three then went to several bars, according to the police report, and returned to the man’s apartment at Marina City later that night.

At about 2 a.m., after more drinks, the woman says she wanted to get back to Union Station to catch a train but her friend and the resident tried to talk her into staying. When that did not work, the talk turned into an argument and the man, according to the victim, threw her to the floor and began choking her.

With her friend now screaming at her to stay the night at the apartment, the woman says she “almost blacked out” before the man let go of her throat.

She went down to the lobby and a guard called 911. The woman suffered minor abrasions but refused medical attention. She could not recall the apartment number where the incident happened. Responding Chicago police officers took her to Union Station but she had to wait until the station opened at 5 a.m. By then, she apparently had decided to file a complaint and contacted Amtrak police, who called back Chicago police.

The woman told police she suspects her friend, who remained in the man’s apartment, may have set up the meeting, passing it off as a chance encounter.

Arrest follows assault outside Bar Louie

A man who threatened to cut someone with a box cutter on the sidewalk in front of Marina City’s Bar Louie last month was arrested four blocks away.

The incident happened at about 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5. Police got a description from the victim when they arrived 17 minutes later. They went in the direction the man fled and found him outside the Bed, Bath & Beyond store in the 500 block of North State Street. He was taken back to the 300 block of North Dearborn Street and identified by the victim.

Eric Capers was charged with assault and had a court appearance on October 4. Witnesses at the scene say Capers did not display any weapon.