A man who allegedly attacked two tourists at the Cermak-Chinatown Red Line station last week has been charged repeatedly with punching women at or near CTA stations in recent years.
In fact, at the time of last week’s attacks, he was AWOL from a pending case in which prosecutors accused him of knocking a woman unconscious near the Randolph Street exit of the Lake Red Line platform. That victim refused to pursue felony charges, according to police records.
On Tuesday, Judge David Navarro ordered Markel Green, 29, held in lieu of $250,000 bail for the latest allegations. Green needs to post $25,000 to get out of jail.
Two women visiting Chicago from Albuquerque were sitting on the Chinatown station platform around 10:30 a.m. June 1 when Green pulled out a sharp metal object and stabbed one of them in the face between her nose and lip, according to prosecutors. He then punched the other one in her head and ran away, Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Kelly said.
The victims, ages 22 and 20, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Police arrested Green a short time later after he allegedly hit a 23-year-old woman with a construction cone on a CTA platform at the Roosevelt station. She was also taken to Northwestern.
Officers arrested Green this week after he spent several days at Jackson Park Hospital for a mental health evaluation. Kelly said Green told investigators that he “remembered getting into it with two girls” and stabbing a woman in the head with a red comb.
Prosecutors charged him with three felony counts of aggravated battery.
A warrant had been out for Green’s arrest since he stopped showing up for court in April for another CTA attack.
In that case, Green allegedly punched a 47-year-old woman in the face, causing her to lose consciousness and hit her head on the Randolph Red Line platform on December 16. Police tracked Green to the Roosevelt station and took him into custody.
But the victim, who was taken to Northwestern, refused to pursue felony charges, according to a CPD report.
During a misdemeanor bond court hearing the next day, a court worker told Judge Mary Marubio that their pretrial analysis of Green gave him a score of 6 out of 6 for likelihood to commit a new crime, 5 out of 6 for likelihood to not show up in court, and it flagged Green for violent crime, meaning that if he committed a new crime while on bond, it would likely be a violent offense. If Green gets released, the court officer said, “maximum conditions” were recommended.
Marubio set bail at $5,000 and ordered Green to go on electronic monitoring if he posted the requisite 10% deposit bond.
He didn’t. But six days later, Judge Robert Kuzas removed the electronic monitoring requirement and released Green on his own recognizance, according to court records.
As predicted by the pretrial officer, Green stopped showing up for court in April and, allegedly, committed a new violent crime while he was on the loose.
At the time of the December attack, there was a warrant out for Green’s arrest in another incident.
Last July, Green was charged with punching a 38-year-old woman in the face as she walked to work near the Garfield Green Line station. He never showed up in court, prompting a judge to sign an arrest warrant.
Green pleaded guilty to that case on December 21 while he was in custody for the Randolph Red Line allegations. Judge Peter Gonzalez sentenced him to two days in jail, which was satisfied by the previous two nights that Green spent in jail.
Court records show Green pleaded guilty in 2018 to battering two women at the Cermak-Chinatown in November of the previous year. One victim, a CTA employee, said Green spat on her. The other woman said Green punched her in the face outside the station.
He received a sentence of 30-days time served.