A 29-year-old Chicago man is being held in Cook County after prosecutors said he carried an unconscious woman out of a Gold Coast bar, drove her to a downtown hotel, and sexually assaulted her, leaving her to wake up hours later with a head injury and a laceration. The case rests heavily on surveillance footage and biological testing described in court.
Prosecutors' account
According to prosecutors, the woman was out drinking with friends at The Hangge-Uppe on January 27, 2024, when she met the defendant, identified in court filings as 29-year-old Mohammed Ahmad. In court, they said surveillance video shows Ahmad carrying the unconscious woman out of the bar, dropping her on her head, then driving her to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel downtown before taking her into the building and up to a 17th-floor room.
Prosecutors said the woman later woke up in that room, unclothed and bleeding, with a head injury. Ahmad is charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault during the commission of another felony, aggravated criminal sexual assault causing bodily harm, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, according to CWBChicago.
Judge's decision
After hearing the allegations, Cook County Judge James Costello granted the state's detention petition and ordered Ahmad held. Costello said he could not identify any set of conditions that would offset what he called "a clear and present threat to any vulnerable female in the City of Chicago."
Referring to the prosecutors' version of events, the judge recounted that Ahmad allegedly dropped the woman on her head, hid her in a garage while he checked in at the hotel, then carried her unconscious into the building. CWBChicago reported the judge's remarks after reviewing court transcripts.
Evidence and defense
Prosecutors told the court that DNA from a bite mark on the woman's body showed a mixture of two contributors, with Ahmad identified as a strong candidate. They said hospital staff at Northwestern Memorial collected biological evidence after the woman was brought in.
Ahmad's attorney, Steven Weinberg, pushed back on the state's narrative, saying bar video instead shows flirting, dancing, and what he described as a voluntary exit from the club. He also disputed that the woman had been drugged.
The Hangge-Uppe's website lists the bar at 14 W. Elm St., and the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel is listed at 221 N. Columbus Dr. in travel listings; Hangge-Uppe and AAA provide those venue details.
What's next
With the detention petition granted, Ahmad remains in custody as the case moves through the Cook County courts and prosecutors prepare for further proceedings. Reporters who have reviewed the court filings say the transcript and physical evidence are expected to shape the state's next steps and any future hearings.
