Elgin police trying to identify rape suspect

Elgin police are trying to identify and locate a man who on Friday morning raped a woman on the city's west side.

According to police, the suspect sneaked up behind the woman at 3 a.m. in the 1600 block of Larkin Avenue, forced her into a red van after displaying a sharp object, then drove a few blocks west to a parking lot, where the assault occurred in the van, said Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Swoboda.

The man faces a charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony that could put him behind bars for between six and 30 years.

The woman, also in her 30s, did not know her attacker, and police do not suspect the man in other sexual assaults in the city, Swoboda said.

"We haven't made any connection between this case and any other case at this time," Swoboda said.

The suspect is a black man in his 30s, approximately six-feet tall with a medium build, a large nose and a mustache.

The make and model of the van are unknown, but police say it's an older model cargo van with a sliding door on the passenger side, windows on the back doors and no windows on the side.

If you have any information about the suspect, call the police department at (847) 289-2619 or the city's crime tip line at (847) 931-4195.