Two Men Arrested for Violent Robbery on CTA Red Line Train
Two individuals have been charged with committing a violent robbery on a CTA Red Line train in October, with one suspect apprehended six days later using a fake identity while in possession of the victim’s stolen identification, as per prosecutors and court documents.
19-year-old Kendall Ross and 27-year-old Bodarious Minor, along with a third unidentified accomplice, reportedly attacked and robbed a 23-year-old man from Evergreen Park at around 3:40 a.m. on October 12 while they were on a train heading towards the 69th Street Red Line station, according to a detention filing.
The victim informed Chicago police that he was on his way home when the group approached him on the train. Minor allegedly assaulted him by punching him in the face and chest, with Ross also participating in the attack. Ross then seized the man’s backpack during the altercation, prosecutors revealed.
Upon reaching the 69th Street station, CTA employees witnessed the incident and all three robbers fled the train with the victim’s backpack, according to the accusations.
A breakthrough in the case occurred six days later when law enforcement responded to an unrelated 911 call reporting a suspicious individual near a car trunk. Upon arrival, the person, who identified himself as “Troy Cooper,” was found with the caller’s property, the detention filing stated.
However, fingerprint analysis uncovered that “Troy Cooper” was actually Ross, and police discovered the victim’s driver’s license and Social Security card in his possession, prosecutors mentioned.
Several officers who reviewed the CTA surveillance footage recognized Ross from the images. Charges were initially delayed as the victim struggled to identify him in a photo lineup.
During questioning, Ross denied being on the train during the robbery. However, when presented with a time-stamped image from CTA footage showing one of the suspects, he acknowledged the resemblance but claimed he did not recall being there. When shown another image of the same suspect holding the victim’s backpack, Ross allegedly stated he did not know the individual.
Ross has been charged with robbery and aggravated battery of a transit passenger. Judge Shauna Boliker ordered him to be held without bail. Minor has been in custody on the same charges since October 27 by order of Judge Robert Kuzas, according to court records.
