Chicago police are trying to track down a man who stabbed and robbed a CTA passenger aboard the Purple Line in the Loop on Monday evening. A Reddit user who identified himself as the victim told his story on the site’s Chicago subsection a few hours after the attack.
“I thought at first he was stabbing me solely to kill me or because he had went insane,” the Reddit user wrote. “It was horrifying, and I don’t know how I’m going to get over this, but am grateful for my girlfriend.”
In a “seeking to identify” bulletin issued late Tuesday afternoon, CPD’s Mass Transit detectives said an offender approached the victim on the Purple Line near Adams-Wabash around 7:18 p.m. and demanded his phone while displaying a knife.
After the victim complied, the robber demanded the phone’s passcode and stabbed the victim, police said.
“All I can think about is him screaming for my password and me trying not to get stabbed while also figuring out what he was saying,” the Reddit poster wrote. “I didn’t know what the ‘password’ was…until I realized he meant my phone.”
“The wounds were minor,” the author said, “but I’m still in shock.”
The offender ran from the train at Adams-Wabash and dropped the knife, the poster said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment and went home later the same night.
Police said the offender is 30- to 40-years-old, 5’7” to 5’9” tall, and 150 to 160 pounds.
“I can’t believe this happened. I’ve lived in NYC my whole life and now live here in Chicago, and not once has something like this occurred, nor did I expect it. It was so random,” the Reddit poster said. “I’m still processing this.”
Anyone with information about the attacker can contact Mass Transit Detective Ray Verta at 312-745-4443 or 773-664-4880. The officer can also be contacted at Raymond.verta@chicagopolice.org. The case number is JE-211014.