A 23-year-old woman was hospitalized Friday after a man slashed her face in a violent early morning robbery on the CTA Blue Line.
Just after 4 a.m., a 48-year-old man approached the woman on the train’s platform at Clark and Lake before harshly strong-arming her for her cell phone and running off, according to police.
During the robbery the woman’s face with harshly cut, and she was soon taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to be treated for her injuries.
A nearby passenger saw the attack unfold and followed the assailant for three blocks while calling authorities to keep them updated on his whereabouts, police said.
The witness said he picked up a wet floor marker while tracing the attacker’s steps in case he had to protect himself, but added that he’s “no hero."
“I just didn’t want him to get away,” 25-year-old Steven Lucas said. “Seeing another human being, a woman, in danger as a man I couldn’t let the guy get away.”
Other witnesses say the attacker seemed to be mentally ill.
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Officers arrested the attacker soon after, and charges are pending. Further information on his identity have not been released.
