Knife-wielding male hijacks Chicago bus in middle of night. But wise driver outwits crook and pulls off daring escape.



A knife-wielding male hijacked a Chicago Transit Authority bus in the middle of the night earlier this week, but the wise bus operator used her experience and wits to pull off a daring escape.

Police said the suspect was aboard a southbound No. 53 CTA bus just before 2:40 a.m. Wednesday in the 2400 block of North Pulaski Road in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood when he pulled out a knife and demanded the bus not stop, WLS-TV reported.

'She could see him through the mirror, what he was doing, jabbing with the knife, like he was going to stab her.'

The bus driver, a 57-year-old woman, tripped a silent alarm, the CTA told the station.

After a bus supervisor located the bus, the bus driver escaped out a window in the 900 block of North Clark Street, police told WLS.

The bus traveled about 6.5 miles after leaving its normal route, the station said.

The suspect got off the bus and ran into Washington Park, WLS said, adding that police took him into custody in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street just before 3:20 a.m.

The bus driver's union leaders described what they saw on the bus' surveillance video, the station said.

"She could see him through the mirror, what he was doing, jabbing with the knife like he was going to stab her, but only doing it in a motion where she could see through the mirror," Michelle Townsend, second vice president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, told WLS.

The station said it's unclear what the suspect wanted.

Police said charges are pending, and no injuries were reported, WLS added.

RELATED: 7 females, 2 males accused of ganging up on, beating up train passenger in Chicago

Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen said there was a 47% drop in serious crime across the transit system compared to last year, the station reported, adding that buses saw a 40% drop.

Leerhsen added to WLS that Chicago police officers' hours patrolling the transit system have increased by 75% since December, especially during evening and overnight hours.

In March, Cook County Sheriff's officers also began patrols, the station said.

WLS said the increased security comes after President Donald Trump threatened funding due to violent attacks in the CTA system — including one last November when Lawrence Reed allegedly set a woman on fire on the Blue Line.

The station added that violent crimes across the CTA system — including stations and platforms — "remain at a high level, with 779 violent crimes committed in a 12-month period between April of last year and this year."

The CTA over the summer will launch a pilot program featuring violence interrupters and crisis intervention specialists who hope to help stop crime before it happens, WLS reported.

One person walking out of the Red Line's Roosevelt station Wednesday weighed in on CTA safety, the station said: "It's a traveling hotel. You know what I'm saying. It is dangerous."

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Violent repeat offenders — 1 was arrested 14 previous times — accused of attempted murder, sexual abuse in two Chicago cases



Two violent repeat offenders — one of whom had been arrested 14 previous times — are accused of attempted murder, sexual abuse, and aggravated battery in separate cases in Chicago.

The first suspect is accused of sexually abusing a woman inside a Chicago Transit Authority elevator at the Jackson Red Line station in the Loop on Tuesday, CWB Chicago reported.

Briana Bush last week also was charged with three counts of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing of a 24-year-old man, the outlet said.

Kurtis Porter is charged with criminal sexual abuse by force and aggravated battery of a transit passenger, the outlet said.

Porter allegedly followed a 29-year-old woman into the elevator around 5:40 p.m., the outlet said, adding that police said CTA security video shows Porter obstructing the surveillance camera upon entering the elevator.

The victim told police Porter exposed himself, sexually abused her, and grabbed her face during the attack, the outlet said.

Police and CTA distributed an internal bulletin that included images of Porter, the outlet said, adding that a CTA supervisor recognized Porter hours later and notified nearby patrol officers.

Judge Shauna Boliker on Friday ordered Porter detained, the outlet said. Cook County Jail records indicate that Porter — a 30-year-old — is behind bars on no bond.

More from CWB Chicago:

CPD records show Porter has been arrested 14 other times since becoming an adult in 2014, mostly for misdemeanors, but court files show nearly all of those charges were dropped. The only exceptions were a 2019 domestic battery case that ended with court supervision he did not complete satisfactorily and two trespassing charges at the same Old Town building that resulted in a 14-day sentence in November.

RELATED: Repeat offenders charged with murdering elderly woman; one suspect was on bond and skipped court days before fatal shooting

Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune

The second suspect — a 21-year-old female already on probation in connection with a violent 2024 robbery aboard a CTA train — has been charged with attempted murder, CWB Chicago said in a separate story.

Briana Bush last week also was charged with three counts of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing of a 24-year-old man, the outlet said.

Officials told the outlet Bush was fighting the man and a 37-year-old woman aboard a Red Line train at 69th Street on Jan. 5 when Bush allegedly stabbed the man and left the scene. The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, the outlet added.

Judge Luciano Panici Jr. detained Bush at the state’s request, the outlet said.

Bush had been on probation in connection with a group robbery aboard a Red Line train in July 2024, the outlet said, citing court records.

More from CWB Chicago:

In that case, CTA surveillance footage allegedly showed Bush punching a 29-year-old man as he slept on the train near 95th Street and taking his phone. Police arrested Bush shortly after she fled the scene with the victim’s phone in her pocket, authorities said.

Bush was also charged with escaping electronic monitoring while awaiting trial in the robbery case, but prosecutors dropped that matter when she pleaded guilty to the robbery in September. Judge Peggy Chiampas sentenced Bush to two years of probation for the robbery.

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Thug with over 40 arrests accused of punching then shoving mentally disabled man to train tracks — all over $1



A rampant repeat offender has been accused of punching and then shoving an intellectually disabled man off a Chicago suburb train platform and upon the tracks below, seriously injuring the victim — and all over $1.

Tommie O. Carter, 39 — who law enforcement sources said has been arrested over 40 times in Cook County, Illinois — has been identified as the culprit, WGN-TV reported.

'I am the victim!'

Forest Park officers were dispatched to the Harlem Blue Line stop just before 8:35 a.m. Monday for a report of a battery, the station said. Forest Park is a suburb just west of Chicago.

Officers found the 59-year-old victim lying on the train tracks, WGN said.

Prosecutors allege Carter approached the man and repeatedly asked him for a dollar, the station said, adding that the man replied that he had no money.

More from WGN:

Carter allegedly pushed the man to the ground, and he was able to get back up. Documents state the man walked to the train platform and Carter followed him.

He then struck the man in the head and pushed him from behind, causing the 59-year-old to fall to the tracks, prosecutors state. The man came “really close” to the electric third rail.

A train was approaching the station, but the train’s operator, who saw what happened, was able to stop the train in time. Authorities were able to cut off electricity to the rail so first responders could make the rescue.

Prosecutors said the alleged attack was captured on surveillance video, the station added.

RELATED: 'Serial puncher' accused of knocking out mother of 11 in Chicago over summer arrested yet again — this time while behind bars

WGN reported that the victim — who suffered multiple fractures to his right knee and a fracture in his left knee — was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officers approached Carter on the train platform after witnesses identified him, the station said, citing court documents.

But Carter refused to comply with officers’ orders and fought back as they were placing him in handcuffs, police told WGN.

Carter continued to tense up and tried to pull away from officers as they took him to a squad car, the station said, citing an incident report.

More from WGN:

As one officer was placing the suspect in the back seat, he turned his head and spit on the officer, hitting him in the forehead and side of his face.

After driving to the police department, as officers were trying to remove Carter from the squad car to bring him inside for processing, he allegedly began to spit again, hitting one officer in his arm, and hitting another in the face mask, left shoulder, and on his body-worn camera mounted on his uniform.

An incident report shows once Carter was in the station, he was irate at first, and then began to speak with officers. He claimed the victim initially grabbed him, which caused his jacket to rip, and said he pushed the man after he was grabbed.

“Carter then became increasingly hostile, spitting towards officers, throwing a wet toilet paper roll and wet T-shirt,” the incident report stated, according to the station.

Carter was charged with attempted murder and three counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, WGN reported.

He also shouted, “I am the victim!” and “Let me out of here!” during his detention hearing, the station said.

A judge denied a request from Carter's attorney that he should be allowed on electronic monitoring, WGN noted.

What's more, Carter was on pretrial release in connection with a case just last month in which he was charged with criminal damage to government supported property, criminal trespass, and assault, the station said.

More from WGN:

According to an arrest report, Carter entered the Citadel Center without authorization, and when asked to leave, he refused. After being taken into custody, he allegedly started kicking the door of the Chicago Police Department squad car and tried to spit on one of the officers.

Carter also has seven felony convictions on his record, including a 2023 case for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, in which he was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Correction.

He has six other convictions on his criminal record, including retail theft, attempted armed robbery, and armed robbery.

A judge ordered Carter detained, the station said; his next court date is scheduled for Dec. 19.

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4 sleeping passengers fatally shot on train, mayor of Chicago suburb says; suspect arrested; gun recovered



Four sleeping passengers aboard a Chicago Transit Authority train were fatally shot Monday morning, according to the mayor of Forest Park, a Chicago suburb.

CTA workers discovered the shooting victims around 5:30 a.m., WLS-TV reported, adding that Forest Park police said they received a 911 call about the shooting. Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and a fourth died at Loyola University Medical Center, the station said.

'It's a Monday morning on a holiday. Everyone is supposed to enjoying their time off, time with their families; it's Labor Day. ...'

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins told WLS the victims, all adults, were sleeping at the time they were shot.

"These victims likely never saw it coming," Hoskins added to the station. "They were executed on Labor Day. In our community, people go to the pool. They go to the park. You know, they barbecue. But today a lot of people were calling the mayor's office, expressing concern and asking if they were safe."

Police told WLS the shooter fled the scene, but officers took a suspect into custody within 90 minutes and recovered the gun allegedly used in the shooting.

"We believe he got off at the Forest Park stop, and he was apprehended at a Pink Line station in Chicago somewhere, so he may have gotten on a train going the opposite direction," Hoskins added to the station.

Police told WLS the shooting occurred on two train cars.

"I mean, it's a horrible situation," Forest Park Police Deputy Chief Christopher Chin added to the station. "It is definitely something you don't want to wake up to. It's a Monday morning on a holiday. Everyone is supposed to enjoying their time off, time with their families; it's Labor Day."

Forest Park police and the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the shooting, WLS said, adding that police said it appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Neither the shooting suspect nor the shooting victims have been identified, the station said.

- YouTube youtu.be

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Video: Mob of thugs descend upon apparent Chicago bus driver, tackle him to street, repeatedly punch and stomp him



Video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver getting swarmed by a mob of thugs, tackled to the street, and repeatedly punched and stomped over the weekend in the popular downtown shopping area known as the Loop.

What are the details?

The clip shows the apparent driver standing outside a bus and facing one individual as a crowd gathers around them. One person is heard telling the driver he'd "better get back on that bus!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Suddenly the apparent driver seems to push with his left hand the individual facing him, and that individual appears to move away. Second later screams are heard and a fight breaks out.

The apparent driver has the upper hand at first, grabbing and pushing one male backward for a considerable distance.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

But at that point a mob descends upon the apparent driver, and he has no chance as thugs tackle and then beat him.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

At the end of the clip, a police officer appears and seems to be moving toward the attack.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Paulvallas

Here's the clip:

This is video of the poor CTA bus driver that was beaten last night downtown. This is SO disgusting that this is happening in Chi. @TheMagMile @ChiefDavidBrown @MaryAnnAhernNBC @AnitaPadilla32 @FoxNews @CWBChicago @WGNNews @ABC7Chicago @cbschicago @ChiCityBusiness @AmyJacobsonpic.twitter.com/EANvAwkwxF
— Paul Vallas (@Paul Vallas) 1638727702

What else do we know?

Chicago police said a 49-year-old CTA bus driver was traveling in the Loop around 9 p.m. Saturday when he heard a loud noise, WFLD-TV reported, after which the driver stopped the bus to inspect it.

While the driver was doing this, police told the station a male and female began to push the driver and then punched the driver multiple times before fleeing.

Police told WFLD the driver's face and body were bruised, and he was taken to a hospital in fair condition. The station's report does not include the video circulating on social media.

A 15-year-old male identified as a suspect in the attack was arrested in the 100 block of North Michigan Avenue and charged with one count of aggravated battery to a transit employee and disorderly conduct, police added to the station.

Fox News said police did not confirm that the video circulating on social media shows the attack on the 49-year-old bus driver. Police instead directed the cable news network to the "initial narrative" that two suspects were involved and added that the department "[does] not have any additional information," Fox News noted.

While the report on the attack from WBBM-TV doesn't include the video circulating on social media, either, it does show what appears to be a bus driver holding a cloth or towel on the side of his face and walking into an ambulance — and the victim looks similar to the apparent driver the mob attacked in the cellphone video.

Anything else?

Police told WGN-TV at least 20 juveniles were taken into custody Saturday night amid violent chaos in the Loop that forced authorities to use crowd control measures. In addition to the attack on the bus driver, a 15-year-old was shot in the arm after bumping into a man, the station said.

The next day Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked how she plans to curb violence in the Loop moving forward, WGN said.

“We are going to take significant, swift action to quell any issues,” Lightfoot replied, according to the station. “[Saturday night] there were a large number of children that were down at Millennium Park. We followed the protocols that we put in place from the summer of 2020. When it was time for them to leave the park, we made sure they left the park without incident.”

Here's more of what Lightfoot said:

I asked @chicagosmayor about this. Thanks to @CWBChicago for the information. \n@MorningAnswer @DanProft https://twitter.com/paulvallas/status/1467556467716808709\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/oxcIXOkJAA
— Amy Jacobson (@Amy Jacobson) 1638741271