Man Charged With Blue Line Robberies
CHICAGO (STMW) - A south suburban man is being held on $90,000 bond after being charged with multiple robberies on the CTA Blue Line last month.
The UIC Police/Chicago Police Department Joint Robbery Task Force investigated a pattern of robberies on the Blue Line near the UIC-Halsted stop between the end of October and Nov. 9, according to a release from UIC.
The task force reached out to CTA Security to pull video surveillance recordings for that period, and CTA issued a bulletin regarding a possible suspect.
Meanwhile, a victim of a Nov. 9 robbery on the CTA in another district observed his alleged assailant two days later near the UIC-Halsted stop and notified police, according to UIC Police Officer Dan Esquilin.
Monroe District officers made the arrest, and the suspect was identified by other victims in lineups conducted by the task force and Harrison Area detectives.
Nicholas Howell, 32, of Lynwood, was charged in five robberies, including three of UIC students, the release said. None of the victims were injured.
Howell is charged with three counts of robbery, one count of aggravated robbery, and one count of attempted robbery. He remains in Cook County Jail in lieu of $90,000 bail.
His next scheduled court date is Dec. 9 at 26th and California, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office.
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