Following a string of violent CTA attacks, four people were robbed early Thursday morning while on CTA trains or platforms, Chicago police said.
Early Thursday morning at 1:50 a.m., authorities say a 23-year-old female was on the Pink Line, on the 1900 block of S. Kedzie when she was approached by two male offenders wearing all black clothing.
One of the offenders produced a handgun and put the gun on the side of her head while demanding all her personal property, Chicago police said. The offenders then exited the train and fled in unknown direction.
The victims was not hurt and refused medical attention on scene.
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Five minutes later, at 1:55 a.m., two men had exited a Pink Line train and were on the CTA platform at the 2100 block of S. Kedzie when two unknown male offenders approached them, authorities said.
The offenders pointed firearms at the victims and demanded their belongings. The offenders then ran off. The victims were not injured.
Later that morning at 4 a.m. in the 1100 block of W. Bryn Mawr, authorities say a 48-year-old man reported that he was asleep on a southbound Red Line train when an unknown male offender woke him up, pointed a firearm at him and demanded his belongings.
The offender took then personal property out of the victim’s pockets and exited the train. The victim was not injured.
No one was in custody for any of the incidents.
Last week, CTA said it has added more security guards at stations, telling NBC Chicago that "the added security guards announced a few weeks ago are being deployed as quickly as possible."
However, community concerns are on still the rise, and the South Loop Neighbors neighborhood organization held a public meeting Wednesday to address rider safety of CTA routes, and what is being done to address the issue of violent crime.
"Over the past several months, concerns have been raised by people living in the South Loop in regards to individual safety while riding the CTA," a statement from the South Loop Neighbors organization read.
"There have been a number of recent news stories regarding violent
crime at CTA stops as well as on the routes, specifically the CTA rail lines. The concerns raised by media reports are compounded by what many residents personally witness while using the CTA lines in the South Loop."
