Eric Vinson, a 51-year-old man from Bartlett, who became an internet sensation in the spring after being filmed boarding a Red Line train while wielding two hammers and threatening passengers, is currently in Cook County Jail. He is accused of threatening to kill a sheriff’s police officer who woke him up on the train and informed him that sleeping there was not permitted.
Vinson has a lengthy criminal record with at least 49 arrests since 2015, as per court records. His notoriety grew after a video of him brandishing hammers and threatening passengers went viral on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Despite the alarming nature of the incident, no injuries were reported as passengers attempted to ignore him.
On March 27, roughly 10 days after the viral incident, Vinson was arrested again. This time, he allegedly threatened a 55-year-old gas station employee with a hammer at a location on the 8700 block of South State Street.
A report from the Chicago Police Department stated that Vinson threatened to hit both the cashier and customers with his hammer. However, the employee managed to retreat behind a security partition and contacted 911. This was the second disturbance Vinson caused at the gas station that day.
Upon his detention, Vinson allegedly made a derogatory threat, saying, “I promise to Jesus I’m going to kill that Arab retard.” At the police station, officers found multiple security bulletins and news clips highlighting Vinson’s violent tendencies.
Vinson was cited and given a notice to appear in court, followed by a psychiatric evaluation at St. Bernard Hospital. Nonetheless, he and the alleged victim both failed to attend court, leading to the dismissal of the case.
On April 19, around 11:30 p.m., Cook County sheriff’s police, while patrolling the Red Line, reportedly found Vinson sleeping with two hammers visible from his backpack. Recognizing him from recent news reports, the officers woke him, leading to an agitated response where Vinson declared himself the “King of the CTA.” He then allegedly threatened to harm one officer by striking him in the head, repeating the threat multiple times before being detained when the train stopped at 95th Street.
Vinson now faces charges of threatening a public official, and Judge Robert Kuzas has detained him, citing public safety concerns.
His court records reveal 80 cases filed under his name since 1997, including four felonies. He has had 46 arrests by Chicago police since 2015, with others from different agencies.
Past convictions include a 41-month sentence for a 2010 robbery case, 13 months for a 2023 criminal damage to property charge, and a two-year sentence for a 2024 robbery case involving unlawful restraint.
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