Family of 62-year-old man beaten on CTA bus on West Side speaks out; 2 teens charged in attack
As the cta says it's ramping up safety protocols on buses and trains, following a string of violent attacks, the family of a man brutally beaten on a bus is speaking out.
Larry Gilkey, 62, was badly hurt after being attacked by three teens on a bus on the west side. Two of those teens were charged on Monday night.
Gilkey spent days in a medically induced coma with severe bleeding in his brain. Injuries from when three teens attacked and robbed him on a cta bus here on the West Side. His family said their loved one is in this hospital only after he tried helping one of the teens who targeted him.
For nearly a week, Gilkey could not speak as doctors tried to reduce internal bleeding in his head.
"He's one of the people who taught me everything I know," said Tavarris Harvey, nephew.
Harvey couldn't believe the call he received to rush to the emergency room.
"My uncle Terry called me, which is Larry's identical twin brother. He called me hysterically crying and could barely explain what was going on," he said.
Harvey arrived to find one uncle standing at the bedside of his twin.
"I just see him connected to all types of machines," he said.
Chicago police would later tell him three teenagers viciously attacked his loving uncle while on a CTA bus along Cicero and Flournoy in West Garfield Park.
One of three teens asked for money to get on the bus, and just as Gilkey pulled out his wallet to help out, the other two jumped the 62-year-old.
"I feel like it was a setup, just the bait and switch to see if a person actually has some money on them," Harvey said.
The teen either stomped his uncle in the head or his head hit an object during the attack, resulting in Gilkey being taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in a coma for nearly a week.
Two of those teens in the attack were charged on Monday night.
A boy and a girl, both 15, were charged with felony counts of aggravated battery to a transit employee, aggravated battery to a person over 60, and aggravated battery with great bodily harm to a person over 60.
The girl was also charged with attempting to steal a vehicle on Dec. 21, in the 5600 block of West Bloomingdale Avenue, according to police.
Charges are still pending for a third person from the incident, police said.
"They should be held accountable. It shouldn't be any break, they should be treated like adults," Harvey said.
The family set up a GoFundMe to help with mounting medical bills just days before the holidays.
"He has a long way to go, and he's gonna need extra care at home," Harvey said.
Gilkey is out of that coma, and I'm told he gave thumbs up and a smile when told about the arrest.
Note: In the community alert, Chicago police originally identified all three suspects as male.