A Chicago CTA driver turned a knifepoint bus hijacking into her own escape after prosecutors said a passenger forced her off route for nearly an hour. The overnight run started like any other No. 53 Pulaski trip, according to CWB Chicago. It ended with the 57-year-old driver jumping out of her own window on the Near North Side.
Chicago police identified the suspect as 51-year-old Lanell C. Fields. According to ABC7 Chicago, Fields was on a southbound No. 53 CTA bus just before 2:40 a.m. in the 2400 block of North Pulaski Road in Belmont Gardens. Police said he pulled out a knife and demanded that the bus not stop.
Prosecutors later said the driver was near the end of her shift when Fields got on the bus shortly after 2 a.m. He walked to the back and sat down with about four other passengers. About 20 minutes later, the driver noticed him waving a large knife, and the other passengers noticed it too…