Suspect Grabs Passenger's Cellphone And Runs From South Shore Train: Police

(STMW) -- An 18-year-old man refused to pay his fare and then stole a woman's cellphone onboard a South Shore train over the weekend in northwest Indiana, according to police.

Devon D. Thomas refused to pay his train fare about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the East Chicago station, according to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District transit police. He then grabbed a cellphone from a Terre Haute woman and ran off the train and into the nearby Roxana neighborhood.

NICTD Police Officer Charlie Mathewson searched the neighborhood and found Thomas at Roxana Drive and Walsh Avenue and took him into custody, police said.

The victim identified Thomas and her cellphone, which Thomas still had in his possession, police said. Although Thomas had refused to pay his fare, he had $47 in cash when he was arrested.

Thomas, who has addresses in both Gary and Chicago, was charged with one felony count of robbery one misdemeanor count of theft, according to police.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)