CTA Bus Driver Kidnapped, Escapes Through Window

A Chicago Transit Authority bus driver was forced off her route at knifepoint before dawn on May 13 and escaped by climbing out of a bus window after a supervisor found the vehicle, according to Chicago police and CTA officials. Police said the driver, a 57-year-old woman, was operating a southbound No. 53 bus when a male passenger pulled a knife and ordered her not to stop. The episode began on North Pulaski Road in the Belmont Gardens area and ended on North Clark Street on the Near North Side after the bus traveled about 6.5 miles off its normal route. Police said officers later took a suspect into custody and that no injuries were reported. ### Where did the confrontation start, and what did police say the passenger did? Chicago police said the confrontation began just before 2:40 a.m. in the 2400 block of North Pulaski Road. ABC7 Chicago, citing police, reported that the passenger was riding the southbound No. 53 bus when he pulled out a knife and demanded that the bus not stop. NBC Chicago reported police described the weapon as a sharp object and said the incident occurred at about 2:37 a.m. (abc7chicago.com) The CTA said the operator activated a silent alarm during the encounter. That alert helped set in motion the response that allowed a supervisor to locate the bus, according to ABC7’s report citing the agency. ### How did the driver get away? The 57-year-old driver escaped in the 900 block of North Clark Street after a bus supervisor located the vehicle, police said. (abc7chicago.com) ABC7 reported she climbed out of a window, and Fox 32 said the suspect then fled before later being arrested. Michelle Townsend, second vice president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, told ABC7 that surveillance video showed the driver could see the man in the mirror making stabbing motions with the knife. ABC7 reported it was unclear what the suspect wanted. (abc7chicago.com) ### How far did the bus go, and where did the suspect end up? ABC7 reported the bus drove about 6.5 miles after leaving its normal route. The station said the suspect got off the bus and ran before police took him into custody in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street in the Gold Coast shortly before 3:20 a.m. (abc7chicago.com) Fox 32 reported charges were pending after the arrest. Multiple local reports said no injuries were reported in the incident. ### What has CTA said about security on buses and trains? The CTA says on its security page that the Chicago Police Department provides law enforcement for the transit system through its Public Transportation Section and that the agency supplements that presence with unarmed guards and about 39,000 cameras. (abc7chicago.com) The agency says CPD also operates a 24-hour Strategic Decision Support Center connected to CTA cameras. (fox32chicago.com) At a CTA board meeting the same day, acting President Nora Leerhsen said serious crime across the system fell 47% in April from a year earlier and bus crime fell 40%, according to ABC7. Leerhsen said CPD hours on the system had increased 75% since December and that Cook County sheriff’s officers joined the effort in March. (transitchicago.com) ### What happens next in the case? Chicago police said charges were pending after the suspect was taken into custody. CBS Chicago, as quoted in search results, reported the CTA said it would work with local law enforcement on the investigation and would seek aggressive felony charging in the case. The next public updates are likely to come from the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County court system if charges are filed, and CTA statements about the investigation. (abc7chicago.com) The CTA also directs riders and workers to report crimes and misconduct through its security and anti-harassment channels, which identify bus numbers and surveillance footage as key tools in investigations. (transitchicago.com) (cbsnews.com)