CTA Bus Driver Held at Knifepoint in 40-Minute Hijacking, Suspect Captured

A Chicago Transit Authority bus driver was forced at knifepoint to drive miles off her assigned route early Wednesday morning in a harrowing hijacking that lasted nearly 40 minutes, police said.

The ordeal began around 2:40 a.m. on the 2400 block of North Pulaski, where a man armed with a large hunting knife boarded the Pulaski Route 53 bus. According to police, the driver managed to get all passengers off the bus before she was held hostage.

A panic alarm was activated, and police received information about an assault on a bus operator. Scanner audio described the bus as “going rogue,” traveling several miles off course as the driver sent incoherent and suspicious text messages while being forced to continue.

Police sources said the driver was held at knifepoint for seven miles. A supervisor who arrived at the scene witnessed the individual holding a knife to the bus operator’s neck.

The bus finally stopped near Clark and Delaware, then later Clark and Chestnut. The suspect, described as a heavy-set male wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, and black shoes, climbed out of a bus window and fled across Washington Square Park. Officers received a call for a man matching that description at 100 West Chestnut, where he was reportedly waving a knife.

Following a positive identification from the bus driver, police took the suspect into custody at Chestnut and Clark. No injuries were reported.

In a statement, the CTA praised the swift action of police, saying it led to the man being taken into custody quickly. The agency also said it is committed to seeing the case through to ensure felony charges are pursued.

The president of the union representing the bus drivers praised the driver’s quick thinking in getting passengers off the bus, adding that she should be honored for her heroism.