CHICAGO — Mass Transit detectives are trying to track down the man who attacked and robbed a Blue Line passenger near the Western stop in Bucktown, according to a Chicago police bulletin.
The victim, a 35-year-old man, was riding a train around 6:15 a.m. Friday when the robber tried to take his property, police said. When he failed to get the victim’s phone, he punched the victim, pulled him to the floor of the train, and then took the device, according to officials.
The suspect fled from the train at Western, and the victim sought help from CTA staff moments later upon arriving at Damen.
Detectives released these surveillance images of the robber. He’s 19 to 30 years old, 6 feet to 6’2″ tall, and about 250 pounds, the alert said.
Police asked anyone who has information about the man to call investigators at 312-745-4443 regarding case number JG-248596.
Robbery reports in CTA stations and on CTA trains and platforms are down significantly through the first four months of the year, with 106 cases reported as of May 1. But the city’s crime data shows that incidents are still more common than in most recent pre-pandemic years when ridership was much higher.
Here’s a look at CTA train, platform, and station robberies recorded through April 30 of each year:
2013: 115
2014: 66
2015: 58
2016: 84
2017: 88
2018: 102
2019: 130
2020: 131
2021: 110
2022: 145
2023: 106
