A string of robberies has rattled Chicago's CTA Red Line, leading to charges against a 15-year-old girl. In a recent development, the teenager faces allegations of being involved in several attacks, including the beating and robbing of multiple train riders, with incidents reported by Chicago police occurring on the evening of May 10 and the early hours of May 11.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the accused girl's first alleged assault was on a 29-year-old man at approximately 10:40 p.m., and another attack followed just after midnight on a 22-year-old woman. The spree continued when, around 2:20 a.m., she purportedly attacked and robbed a 21-year-old woman, leaving her to seek treatment at St. Bernard Hospital.
The latter incident involved a casino employee who was heading home from work. A conversation initiated by four females on the train, initially friendly, took a violent turn. "Can I have your sweater?" one of them asked. The victim told the Sun-Times, "When she said no, they began hitting her face and head." The attack, which seemed to happen "out of nowhere," led to the theft of her black Sony headphones before she managed to escape the assailants at the 47th Street station.
Additional details provided by CWB Chicago, indicate the girl was allegedly part of a larger group. Surveillance photos released by Chicago police showed multiple suspects, including one with a distinctive pink hairstyle. Police community alerts connected to the violent crime spree, even prior to the arrest, were linked to additional robberies dating back to May 6. In one such notice, six people reportedly assaulted a 29-year-old at 79th Street station, an attack for which the 15-year-old was charged with participation.
The girl now faces multiple counts each of robbery and aggravated battery. The charges follow a sequence of police investigations and community alerts aimed at tackling the surge of violence on the transit system. The Chicago Police Department, with help from the evidence gathered, including CTA surveillance footage, managed to identify and charge the juvenile in this disturbing series of attacks on city commuters.
