CHICAGO — A Cook County judge has sentenced a Chicago man to 15 years for robbing a CTA train passenger at gunpoint in the Loop. Chicago police caught a break in the case after the man tried to use another CTA robbery victim’s credit card to buy a ski mask on Amazon.
Kywan Lee, 21, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and aggravated robbery in exchange for sentences of 15 years and four years, respectively, according to court records. Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered the sentences to be served concurrently.
In July 2021, Lee allegedly sat down next to a man on a Blue Line train near UIC-Halsted and claimed to have a gun as he ordered the victim to hand over his iPhone, AirPods, and wallet.
The next evening, Lee pulled a gun from a backpack and held it to another robbery victim’s chest aboard a Blue Line train at Jackson, prosecutors said. Working with an accomplice, Lee took the victim’s phone, charger, and AirPods.
Meanwhile, the first robbery victim contacted Chicago police after someone named Kywan Lee tried to purchase a ski mask using his Amazon account. Investigators decided that the information was significant enough to include Lee’s mugshot in a photo lineup. Both robbery victims identified him.
Lee’s sentence will be reduced by 50% for good behavior. He is scheduled to be paroled in November 2028.
