A 65-year-old passenger riding the CTA Red Line was beaten by three people who then dragged him off the train at the Clark/Division stop and sprayed paint into his mouth, according to Chicago police. The attack happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the station in Old Town, on the Near North Side, and investigators are now asking the public for help identifying the three people responsible.
Chicago police released surveillance images this week showing the three wanted individuals, as reported by CBS News. One identifying detail stands out in the images: police say one of the suspects has the numbers 5718 tattooed on the fingers of his left hand, a mark investigators hope the public can help recognize.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 312-745-4477 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com using reference number JK446326, per the same report. No further details about the passenger’s condition, the suspects’ identities, or a motive for the attack have been released.
Another Red Line Attack Just Weeks Earlier
A System Already Under Federal Scrutiny
Both incidents land amid a broader surge in violence on Chicago transit. Aggravated assaults and batteries on the CTA reached at least a 24-year high in 2025, the Sun-Times has reported, with those crimes climbing 33% in 2026 compared with the same period the year before. Chicago police recorded 469 aggravated assaults and batteries on the CTA in 2025, up from 441 in 2024, and the train stops with the most aggravated attacks that year were Clark/Lake and the Red Line stops at 63rd Street and Lake Street. More than half of all CTA aggravated attacks in 2025 happened aboard trains and buses themselves…