After two Chicago juveniles allegedly attempted to snatch a cellphone from a 65-year-old female CTA passenger, around 4 p.m., May 30, Forest Park police nabbed both. According to police reports, an officer noticed a male dressed in a heavy coat and stocking cap – the temperature was in the 80s – running along the Blue Line platform at the Circle Avenue train station.
A woman was chasing the juvenile and waving her arms. She stopped police and said she had witnessed the male attempting to snatch a cellphone from the victim’s hands on the train. The witness said the victim managed to hold onto her phone and screamed for help, causing the would-be robbers to flee.
Police took the male into custody, but observed another young man walking quickly down the bridge. The first subject reportedly identified the second as his brother and said they were together. When police addressed him, he fled southbound on Circle. He was reportedly “physically escorted” to the ground and, after a struggle, handcuffed and taken into custody.
The victim, after being located by police, identified the two juveniles as the ones who attempted to steal her phone as the Blue Line train pulled into the Harlem station. One subject was found to have an open warrant from the Chicago Police Department for armed robbery. He was charged with attempted aggravated robbery and transported to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. His partner was processed and turned over to a parent.
