Man Charged with CTA Hammer Attack on Near North Side

A man has been charged with a hammer attack on the Red Line on the Near North Side, the fifth such attack on CTA property this summer.

Curtis Tyler, 30, was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor counts of theft, having a weapon on CTA property and public indecency, Chicago police said.

He is accused of hitting a 50-year-old man in the head — possibly a hammer — on the Red Line near the Clark/Division station around 5 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

Tyler was arrested about an hour later in the 900 block of West Belmont Street, police said. He was due in bond court Wednesday.