Chicago police have released photos of a man they say beat and cut a fellow rider with a glass bottle aboard a CTA Green Line train earlier this month, and they want riders’ help to track him down. The victim, a 48-year-old passenger, was left with cuts after the attack, which unfolded on a west side stretch of the line and has once again put Green Line safety under the microscope.
Police detail the attack
According to CBS Chicago, police said the man walked up to the 48-year-old around 11:45 p.m. on July 10 while the train was in the 100 block of North Damen Avenue. Investigators said the attacker grabbed a glass bottle from the victim, threw him to the floor, then broke the bottle during the struggle. The passenger suffered cuts in the encounter, police said.
Related incidents on the system
The case is one of several recent CTA incidents where detectives have circulated surveillance images as they hunt for suspects. In another Green Line case, a man is accused of shattering train windows earlier this month on the Near West Side and in East Garfield Park, FOX 32 Chicago reported. Those cases have only added to rider unease about safety on the Green Line.
How to help investigators
Anyone with information about the Green Line battery is asked to call Chicago Police Public Transportation Detectives at (312) 745-4447 or send an anonymous tip through CPDTIP.com, according to CBS Chicago. Detectives are urging witnesses to hang on to any cell phone photos or videos that might help them identify the suspect.
Authorities step up patrols and safety advice
Amid the string of cases, local agencies have increased patrols on the Red and Green lines, with Cook County sheriff's deputies riding transit alongside social-service teams, Axios reported in June. Riders are being urged to hit emergency buttons, contact CTA staff or call 911 if they feel threatened, and to save any footage that could help investigators, per reporting on recent Green Line incidents and local coverage by Hoodline on recent Green Line attacks.
