Chaos erupted on a Chicago Blue Line train early Monday morning when a 32-year-old man discharged a firearm at a CTA employee following a dispute, according to the Chicago Tribune. The altercation and subsequent gunfire took place near the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue after 1 a.m. as the train was leaving the station.
Witnesses aboard the train, amongst them Grant Brown, described the harrowing ordeal. "I was riding the train," Brown recounted to ABC7 Chicago. "We came to the stop here at Division and the doors opened and we heard gunshots there was a pause and then another couple rounds then the doors closed and we are wall sorta waiting." No passengers were harmed during the incident, although the potential for casualties hung heavy in the air of the Blue Line car that morning.
Chicago police responded promptly, detaining the suspect at the scene where they also recovered the weapon used in the shooting. The unnamed CTA employee, although unharmed, was transported to St. Mary's Hospital for observation. The shooter was taken for observation to Humboldt Park Health.
Detectives from Area Five have taken the lead on the investigation. So far, the motives behind the gunplay remain unclear, and the identity of the suspect has not been released.
