A Cook County judge on Saturday ordered a 15-year-old boy to remain in jail until his next court date on charges in connection with a stabbing and multiple robberies reported on CTA trains.
The teen was arrested Thursday on two felony counts of robbery, a felony count of aggravated battery to a transit employee and a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault to a transit employee.
In the most recent incident, on Monday, the 15-year-old robbed a 23-year-old man at knifepoint on a train in the 200 block of West Wabash Avenue, police said. The teen then stabbed the man, who was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, according to authorities.
The victim, Ryan Auerhan, told NBC 5 the day of the stabbing started out as normal. However, it turned into a terrifying experience.
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"It was one second, I was sitting there about to get off at my stop, then the next second this guy is in my face attacking me for what felt like an hour but was really four minutes," Auerhan recounted.
Auheran said he was shocked that someone was brazen enough to approach him and pull out a knife during the daytime. The teen's intention, Auheran said, was to steal his iPhone.
"I didn’t realize he was trying to get the password for my phone, I had my headphones on which are noise cancelling and didn’t realize what he was saying," he said. "I thought he was just angry for some reason and was trying to kill me."
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In a separate incident, the teen robbed a 29-year-old woman in the 3000 block of North Wells on April 27, police said. During that encounter, the offender assaulted a 51-year-old man with a knife and demanded he not interfere during the robbery, officials stated.
After Chicago police issued a community alert about the crimes, the suspect surrendered at the city's Second District Police Station, officials said.
As Chicago takes steps toward a full reopening and more passengers begin to use trains, police advise residents to be aware of their surroundings. Additionally, authorities say to report anything that seems suspicious, and if you find yourself in a threatening situation, try to remember specific characteristics of the suspect.
