Man with rifle attacks 2 women in Loop

A man with a rifle attacked a woman and tried to carjack another woman before being confronted by police Thursday morning in the Loop.

A 19-year-old woman was walking in the 100 block of North Wabash Avenue when the man approached her and punched her in the face about 9:45 a.m., Chicago police said. The man hit the woman in the head with a rifle and then fled.

Minutes later, the man approached another woman who was in her car in the first block of East Randolph Street and pointed the rifle at her, demanding she get out and hand over her belongings, police said.

The woman complied, but the man didn’t get in the car and walked away instead.

Responding officers confronted the man, who pointed the rifle at officers before throwing it on the ground and running toward Lake Street, police said. The man was taken into custody and the rifle was recovered.

Charges were pending.