CTA disputes stabbing incident amid rising security concerns
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's public transit system is taking steps to curb violence on its properties, but another person claims to have been attacked at a CTA station, this time the Green Line. This comes just 24 hours after the CTA rolled out its K-9 security times on the Red Line.
According to the Chicago Police Department, this most recent stabbing happened Friday night at the Ashland Green Line station, but CTA officials say ti did not. Police say tow men got into an argument, then one pulled out a knife and stabbed a victim in the neck and ran from the Green Line station. They say the victim waved down officers and removed the knife from his neck. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
But CTA officials told CBS 2's Shardaa Gray they have more than 50 cameras at each train station and this incident did not happen on their property.
Amanda Bailey and her boyfriend, Daniel Mills, often use the Ashland Green Line station.
"That's horrible that people have to worry about violence getting on the train," Bailey said. "Everyone should be able to transport safely wherever they're going."
In a statement, CTA officials say they "conducted a preliminary review of video footage and found that the reported stabbing did not occur in the Ashland Green Line station or on CTA property. CTA continues to assist CPD in its investigation of the incident."
This isn't the first time stories are contradictory. Just last weekend, CPD officials said a man was stabbed on the State and Lake CTA Red Line, but the CTA also said the incident wasn't on its surveillance cameras.
"Even if it did happen right here and it didn't happen on their platform, it's still kind of a CTA problem. More security, for sure," Mills said.
The CTA deployed its K-9 units on the Red Line Friday. The remaining K-9 teams will be deployed through October after they've completed training. The CTA said the K-9 teams will be strategically deployed across its rail system, including patrols along the Red Line and Blue Line, the system's two busiest lines, which both operate 24 hours a day and have recently seen a spike in crime.
Police say no one has been arrested in the most recent stabbing.
