CHICAGO — A 63-year-old man riding home after a long workday was violently attacked by a group of teenagers aboard a CTA Orange Line train Monday night. The incident, which took place near the LaSalle/Van Buren stop, left the man bloodied and shaken — and now speaking out.
“I Was Literally Running Through a Gauntlet of Fists”
Michael Manning, a lifelong Chicago resident, told FOX 32 he had just finished a 12-hour shift and was minding his business when a group of more than a dozen teens boarded the train around 11 p.m. He sensed trouble immediately.
“I knew right away that this was not going to go well, no matter what I said or did,” Manning said. “I stood up, and I’m 6’4″, and I guess that was not a good move.”
He was punched in the back of the head and stumbled forward — right into the group, which accused him of trying to start a fight. That’s when the beating began…