Man sexually attacked, robbed woman on Blue Line train: prosecutors

7 months ago 58
Antonio Mathis (Chicago Police Department)

CHICAGO — Prosecutors have charged a man with sexually attacking and robbing a woman as they rode a Blue Line train on the Fourth of July. Antonio Mathis, 40, was on pretrial release for two recently filed misdemeanor cases at the time of the allegations.

In a detention petition, prosecutors said the woman was riding the train near Cicero when Mathis approached her around 11:25 a.m. on Independence Day. He grabbed her by the arm, refused to let her go, and began touching her private area, according to prosecutors.

Mathis proceeded to hit the woman and take her phone, which he put down his pants, prosecutors alleged. Another CTA customer boarded the train and intervened, convincing Mathis to return the woman’s phone, the petition said.

He exited at the Austin stop, and Chicago cops arrested him there a short time later.

Judge Shauna Boliker granted the detention petition.

Mathis is charged with robbery, aggravated criminal sexual abuse during the commission of another felony, aggravated kidnapping inflicting harm, and aggravated battery of a transit passenger.

According to court records, Mathis was charged with misdemeanor retail theft in Oak Park in late June. Within days of that incident, he was accused of assault in Cicero. He was cited and released in both cases.

Mathis received a seven-year sentence in 2008 for committing an armed robbery in Bucktown, court records show. He received a two-year sentence in 2009 for aggravated impersonation of police. That case also involved allegations of theft.

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