CHICAGO — Two men face felony charges, accused of robbing, body-slamming, and whipping a Red Line passenger with a belt downtown.
The victim, 27, was riding a northbound train when two men confronted him near the Chicago-State station early on March 8, according to a Chicago police report.
Prosecutors said Jordan Frizell, 21, snatched the man’s phone and headset, then threatened to shoot him. No gun was seen. When the victim asked for his phone back, Dijon Pope, 24, allegedly pushed him against the train doors and began hitting him in the head and face, sending the man to the ground. Pope continued to strike the man while he was down, prosecutors claimed in a detention petition.
Once the man returned to his feet, Frizell “body slammed” him, the petition said.
At one point, Frizell tried to take the man’s book bag while Pope struck him in the face and body with a belt, according to Frizell’s detention petition.
The victim fought with both men on the train and Clark-Division platform before the pair fled, leaving the man with a bloody nose and bruises on his face, officials said.
Cops arrested both men when they returned to the platform after the robbery. Prosecutors said Frizell had the victim’s iPhone when the police arrested him.
Both men are charged with robbery and aggravated battery of a transit passenger. Judge Deidre Dyer rejected Pope’s detention petition, opting to release him on an ankle monitor instead. However, he is not eligible for immediate release because he’s being held on an unrelated warrant, according to court records.
The judge did detain Frizell, noting that he was on pretrial release for two other matters at the time of the robberies.
Court records show he was arrested on March 5 for allegedly threatening to kill two CTA canine security officers at the Howard CTA station.
The guards asked Frizell to get off the train because it was at the end of the line, prompting him to reply, “I’ll kill one of y’all” while brandishing a knife, according to the CPD arrest report.
“I’ve killed eleven people already,” Frizell allegedly claimed.
The report said that the security guards chose not to pursue felony charges.
Frizell was arrested on March 3 for trespassing at the Wit Hotel, 201 North State, and on February 24 for misdemeanor shoplifting at Walgreens, 151 North State, according to court records.
