A Chicago Transit Authority driver saved a pregnant woman after a man began beating her while on a bus on Chicago's Southwest Side earlier this week, authorities said.
Police said officers responded to the 4900 block of South Western Avenue just before 8 a.m. Monday.
There, they said a 21-year-old man had entered a CTA bus and hit a "visibly pregnant" 27-year-old woman in the face.
"He began wailing on her," Christina Robles-Favela, who witnessed the attack, said. "He kept punching her with both his fists and she just started screaming and screaming."
After some passengers on the bus pulled out their phones to record the attack, the bus driver stepped in and dragged the alleged attacker off the bus.
"I am so grateful for what he did. He really is a hero," Robles-Favela said.
The woman, identified only as "Brenda," was transported to Holy Cross Hospital with swelling and lacerations to the head and body.
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The alleged attacker, identified by police as 21-year-old Steven Bailey, was also taken to Holy Cross Hospital for an evaluation while the driver refused treatment.
The CTA confirmed the incident and said it is "is assisting the police in any way possible as they investigate this matter, including the review of surveillance footage."
Bailey was charged with felony aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, aggravated battery of a transit employee and aggravated battery in a public space.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the victim, who is due in October.
