In a striking instance of urban crime, Timothy Johnson, a 39-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history, has pleaded guilty to the robbery of a musician aboard a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue Line train. The offense took place the evening of April 11 in the Loop, where Johnson snatched a violin valued at $10,000 from 22-year-old musician Cyrus Spurlock.

As part of a plea agreement, Johnson was sentenced to six years in prison, with the possibility of reducing the sentence to three years for good behavior, as ruled by Judge Stanley Sacks.

According to prosecutors, Johnson was aboard a Blue Line train near the Clark-Lake station when he noticed the violin case Spurlock was carrying en route to Wicker Park. Seizing the opportunity, Johnson forcefully grabbed the case from Spurlock, who resisted the theft. The incident was caught on the CTA’s surveillance cameras, which provided crucial evidence for law enforcement.

Following the robbery, police initiated a search for the stolen violin, which is notable for being handmade by Spurlock’s brother. Despite their efforts, including the release of images to the public, there are currently no updates on the whereabouts of the instrument.

During a preliminary court hearing, the presiding judge characterized Johnson’s actions as a “blatant use of force” against an unsuspecting civilian.

This was not Johnson’s first brush with the law; at the time of the robbery, he was already involved in two felony retail theft cases, for which he had pleaded guilty in July. He was subsequently sentenced to 24 months of probation by Judge Eulalia De La Rosa. In addition, earlier in March, he had also pleaded guilty to assaulting a CTA employee at the Logan Square station, resulting in a 30-day jail sentence. His criminal record also includes an attempt to rob a senior citizen.