CTA worker charged with beating man found dead at downtown subway station
People exit a Blue Line train at the CTA’s Clark/Lake station in the Loop, Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 3, 2021.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
A CTA worker was charged Monday with beating a man who was found dead this weekend at a downtown subway station.
Emmett Richardson, 39, faces felony counts of aggravated battery in connection to the attack early Saturday at the LaSalle Street Blue Line station at 150 W. Congress Parkway, police said in a release.
The victim of the attack, a 54-year-old man who has not been identified, was found unconscious about 4 a.m. on a stairwell landing at the station, police said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead.
Results of an autopsy conducted Sunday were still pending, according to Brittany Hill, a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The ultimate determination could warrant additional charges.
CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said Richardson “has been removed from service without pay pending further investigation and disciplinary action,” calling his actions “absolutely reprehensible.”
“I am appalled by this person’s behavior, which not only is completely contrary to CTA policies but also showed a stunning lack of humanity,” Carter said in a statement. “His actions are an insult to the thousands of hardworking and dedicated men and women who serve CTA customers every day.”
Carter said the transit agency is assisting the police investigation.
Richardson was taken into custody Saturday afternoon in the Douglas neighborhood, where he lives. He’s expected in bond court on Tuesday, police said.