4 people injured in stabbing on CTA Red Line train near North & Clybourn station; 6 people taken into custody
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Four people were stabbed on a CTA Red Line train near the North/Clybourn station.
Police Supt. David Brown said a 43-year-old man got on a Red Line train at the Addison Street station near Wrigley Field. While on the train, three people tried to take his cellphone and attacked him.
At that point, the victim pulled out his own knife and stabbed one attacker in the back, Brown said.
While the train was stopped at the North/Clybourn station, three attackers left the train – while a fourth got on and also attacked the victim, Brown said. The victim stabbed that fourth attacker in the neck and fled the train, Brown said.
While fleeing the train, the fourth attacker stabbed the victim in the collarbone.
The victim was then chased around the platform and through train cars at the North/Clybourn station by six people, Brown said.
"It went from three offenders to four offenders to six offenders," Brown said.
During this phase of the attack, was hit in the head with a broken glass bottle and some other objects by two of the six people -- while one of the attackers suffered a cut to his arm.
The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition with multiple stab wounds and lacerations.
Police confirmed all six attackers were taken into custody. Three of them were injured during the attack, including:
- a 52-year-old man who was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in serious condition with a stab wound to the neck;
- a 36-year-old man who was taken to Stroger in fair condition with cuts to his forearm;
- and a 24-year-old who was taken to Northwestern with a stab wound to the back, and was stabilized.
Area Three detectives are investigating.
"This kind of violence is absolutely unacceptable, and we applaud the Chicago Police Department for its quick actions to arrest the suspects. CTA will continue to assist CPD in its investigation, including sharing any video from our security camera system," the CTA said in a statement on the incident.
The North/Clybourn Red Line station was closed for more than six hours and was bypassed by trains after the stabbing, but normal service later resumed.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, the attack happened as we track a continued uptick in crime across the Chicago Transit Authority system – with a number of violent crimes reported on all lines, but a continued focus on the Red Line.
Through July 14, there had been 465 violent crimes reported between all the CTA lines – a high for the years since 2015.
Through July 14, there had been 465 violent crimes reported on the CTA – a high for the years since 2015. There have been 101 aggravated batteries on the CTA system this year to date alone – compared with 58 in the same time period last year.
On Friday afternoon, a reporter asked Brown what he would say to people who do not feel safe riding the CTA.
"Obviously, perception is really important to us as well. People, how they feel, is important. That's why we've increased resources, both CTA and the Chicago Police Department, on the trains, on the platforms, and on the buses," Brown said. "By the way, as well, and we are seeing a statistical decline in crime on the CTA. But that doesn't speak to the perceptions of crime, so we have to do more with being more visible."
Brown continued: "It's going to be, obviously, quite a challenge dealing with perceptions, regardless of what the statistical declines show in the last 28 days. So, again, a lot more work to do, but being transparent, being honest, is really important when it comes to perceptions. We're doing all we can to increase our presence so that people feel safer."
Brown was referring to the Chicago Police detail and the CTA's multimillion dollar contract we've told you about for 200-plus unarmed private security guards, who are currently monitoring 50 set posts along the transit system.
We reached out to the CTA for an update on those private security guards, and whether those deployment plans have changed at all - specifically on the Red Line.
As of Friday afternoon, there had been no response.
Meanwhile, with a jam-packed weekend ahead of us in the city, including a Chris Stapleton concert at Wrigley Field, we followed up with the Mayor's office to see if any special attention is being paid to the Red Line.
The Mayor's office had no comment.