Violence Interrupters calling for action after CTA bus hijacked on Southwest Side
By Asal Rezaei, Marissa Sulek
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CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — Union representatives for the Chicago Transit Authority bus operators say a 35-year-old mom and driver is happy to be home with her kids after a man pulled a gun on her and demanded she stop a bus last week.
Video of the incident was shared earlier this week, showing a man holding a female bus driver at gunpoint.
In the video, Quentin Lewis, 36, was seen threatening passengers and employees on that CTA bus Tuesday night.
He held the bus driver at gunpoint, forcing her to drive through red lights. She was eventually able to escape through a window.
Lewis, who has a long criminal history, was arrested and charged with kidnapping along with several other felonies. He appeared at a detention hearing on Thursday, where he was ordered held.
In that same area, at 55th and Pulaski on Sunday, volunteers with the Violence Interrupters handed out flyers and spoke with cta drivers about their safety.
“When you board your bus, and you pay your fare, you should feel protected every step of the way,” said Tio Hardiman.
Their goal is to resolve conflict on public transportation. It’s what they have been doing for the last four years.
The group, along with members of the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, is part of a new safety plan this year that puts officers onto the system to reduce crime.
The Violence Interrupters say this year they have mediated 30 to 40 conflicts on CTA trains and buses
“I believe that the Cook County sheriffs, they are doing a good job on the Red Line, I have to give credit right there because before the county sheriffs boarded those trains, it was like chaos going on all the time,” Hardiman said.
The CTA cites a 45% drop in serious crime and a 58% drop in violent crime across the whole system in June compared to June last year.
Union leaders say there are hundreds more not being recorded.
“There’s a lot of unreported crimes … things don’t get reported,” said DePaul University transportation professor Joe Schwieterman.
Schwieterman says on top of that, the federal government is still threatening to withhold funding from the CTA — stalling projects like the Red Line expansion.
“Still a lot of uncertainty from Washington. We have an administration that doesn’t particularly like Chicago.”
CTA union leaders this week told CBS News Chicago that the bus driver is recovering, but more needs to be done to prevent things like this from happening in the first place.
“She’s not doing good. She’s taking this very hard mentally,” said Keith Hill with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241. “Help us fight for safety. Help us fight these very same politicians that are telling us crime is down, and we know it’s not because it’s on our system.”
The CTA says they are working closely with Chicago police in the investigation.
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