CHICAGO — CTA riders whose commutes were interrupted by a string of bogus bomb threats during January and February may have someone to blame: Willie Tilmon. Prosecutors say he’s the guy who submitted the threats via the transit agency’s “customer feedback” page, prompting an investigation by the Chicago Police Department’s bomb squad.
CTA received the first threats through its website on January 7 when someone wrote that “a lot of people are going to die” if the agency did not find three devices planted at its station, according to a police report.
The threat mentioned Red Line stations at 47th Street, Garfield, and 95th Street, according to CPD radio traffic monitored by Spot News.
Criminal complaints filed against Tilmon said more threats were received via the “customer feedback” page on February 26. This time, the sender claimed they left an explosive device on a CTA bus. The message reportedly said the bus bomb would detonate when it reached the Orange Line Kedie stop.
That same day, in a message directed toward a CTA employee, the author threatened to “find you and kill you,” according to the complaints.
Investigators eventually linked the activity to Tilmon, 45. Last Thursday, the bomb squad determined that Tilmon’s phone was pinging at an abandoned building in the 5700 block of South Fairfield, and patrol officers arrested him there.
According to his arrest report, Tilmon tried to break his phone by stomping on it after the police detained him. When they told him his efforts were unsuccessful, he allegedly asked an officer to get rid of it.
Tilmon is charged with three counts of making a false bomb threat and one count of harassment. He is being detained on a separate matter for allegedly violating an order of protection, according to court records.
