A Chicago woman is speaking out after she said a man cornered her on the street near the Gold Coast restaurant Maple & Ash and then followed her inside when she tried to escape. The incident, which she said happened around 2:30 to 3 PM, has since gone viral on TikTok, where the video has gained over 2.2 million views. The creator, who goes by the username @lavendermilftea and is identified as Sid, said in her TikTok video that she was near Maple & Ash in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood when a man approached her and told her she was beautiful. She said she tried to stay polite and keep walking, as she said she usually does when she faces street harassment, but the man stepped in front of her and blocked her path. Sid said in the video that the man pushed her up against a pole and repeatedly demanded her phone number, refusing to leave even after she told him multiple times that she had a boyfriend. She said she could feel his hand hovering over her lower back and, out of fear, she began typing in his contact information to get him to stop. He then insisted she text him right away, she said. Maple & Ash valet said he had a bad gut feeling and stepped in to help When Sid said she tried to leave by telling the man her boyfriend was waiting, she said he threatened to follow her home and get on the train with her. She said in the video that the look in his eyes made her believe he was going to physically hurt her. “I’ve never seen a look like this in a person’s eyes before,” she said. “I thought he was going to beat me up.” @lavendermilftea Please be careful out there this was genuinely horrifying and thank you so much to @Maple & Ash #chicago #chicagotiktok #psa #sos #goldcoast ♬ original sound – sid At that point, she said she spotted a valet employee from Maple & Ash watching from nearby. She said the employee later told her he had not had a good gut feeling about what he was seeing and had been taking pictures. She said she slowly walked toward him, pretending he was a friend, before running once she got close enough. The man then chased her into the restaurant, she said. Inside, Sid said the valet sat her down at the bar and told her they would get her water and make the man leave. However, she said the man followed her inside and charged at her, with the valet physically standing between them to protect her. This is not the first time bar staff have stepped in to protect a customer in an uncomfortable situation. Sid said five other employees also helped restrain the man and push him out of the door. “I am so f–king grateful for Maple and Ash,” she said in the video. Staff then took Sid up to the third floor by elevator, she said, but the man attempted to follow her there as well. The valet stayed with her the entire time and called the police, she said. “He is insistent on getting to me and trying to grab me, and he won’t leave. And at this point, I’m sobbing, and I’m literally just begging him. I’m saying, please leave me alone, please leave me alone. And he still is refusing,” Sid said. The man, whom she identified by the name Donnell, reportedly left before police arrived. Sid said in the video that officers did not take a statement from her, even though photo evidence existed. Sid described the man in her video as tall, Black, and wearing dreads. She also directly addressed viewers in the comments, asking them not to leave racist remarks. “If you are going to be a bigot in my comments, do not even bother,” she said. “This is not about that. I love this city. This is my home.” In a separate incident, a Chicago woman who was being followed home took matters into her own hands when she realized what was happening. She closed the video with a safety message, urging women to carry pepper spray, stay in public spaces, share their location with people they trust, and avoid walking alone when possible. “Please be careful,” she said. “Make sure people know where you are at all times.” Several viewers responded in the comments with support for Sid and praise for the restaurant staff. “Maple & Ash just gained a new customer. So glad you’re ok,” one commenter wrote. Another said, “Hearing you say ‘I do everything I’m supposed to’ sunk my heart.” One viewer also urged action, writing, “Post his name and number… you have it… post his picture!!!! Make him infamous.” Another commenter wrote, “It’s sad that you have to put the disclaimer about your appearance in order to share such a traumatic experience.”