A man who allegedly tried to take control of a Blue Line train in the middle of its run on Friday evening is only charged with a misdemeanor, according to court records. The accused man, Forrest Dix, 30, was released from prison on a felony gun case in February, but the state will not be reconsidering his parole status, despite the allegations, a prosecutor said.
Dix climbed through the CTA operator’s window when the train stopped at the Cicero station around 7:36 p.m. on Friday, according to statements from police and prosecutors.
The train operator locked himself in the cabin with Dix, turned off the power, and asked Dix to leave, a prosecutor said during Dix’s bail hearing. He is charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass to a vehicle with physical control.
But prosecutors provided few details about what happened, and Judge Mary Marubio wanted to know more.
“I just wanna scratch the surface a little here, because it’s not every day we see this,” Marbuio said after hearing the state’s meager presentation.
Apparently reading from other court records, Marubio continued: “It was a stationary train. He entered through a window and attempted to operate it.”
“Do we have any statements made as to what his intentions may have been?” Marubio asked. The prosecutor said he did not have any information about possible intentions.
“Here’s my concern,” said Marubio. “Safety of CTA. It’ impacts a lot of people, not just the riders … This is a public accommodation, and the security of it is of paramount importance to the functioning of our city.”
“I don’t have a lot of information about his intentions, but I do note that when the conductor was able to thwart his desire to drive [the train], he left,” the judge continued.
Marubio held Dix in lieu of $10,000 bail, meaning he must post $1,000 to get out of jail. Another judge will review the bond amount on Tuesday, July 12.
Dix’s public defender said he did not cooperate with their efforts to gather information before the hearing.
Chicago police found Dix about a block from the station and took him into custody.
CWBChicago reported on Saturday that Chicago police dispatchers repeatedly tried to find officers to respond to calls of a man intruding on a CTA train operator cabin, but no cops were available to handle the call for 15 minutes.
