CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged a man with stabbing a 71-year-old homeless man during a robbery attempt at the Jefferson Park CTA station. Easton Kirkpatrick, 32, was held in lieu of a $15,000 bail deposit by Judge Charles Beach during a bond court hearing on Thursday afternoon.
The victim was sleeping with all of his belongings at the transit center when Kirkpatrick targeted him around 1:20 a.m. on April 14, prosecutor Victor Aberdeen told the judge.
With a CTA security camera recording everything, Kirkpatrick went through the victim’s pockets and demanded his money, Aberdeen said. Kirkpatrick went on to kick the victim repeatedly, then took out a switchblade and stabbed the man about three times in the leg, according to Aberdeen.
The victim limped away, and Kirkpatrick allegedly fled without taking anything from him.
Aberdeen said the victim received stitches to close knife wounds on his leg and hands. The victim and another person subsequently identified Kirkpatrick as the attacker.
Kirkpatrick has two felony convictions: a 2019 burglary in Illinois and a 2011 burglary in California, according to Aberdeen.
He is now charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.