Teen girl, CTA security guard shot when gun accidentally fires during struggle on Red Line train in Lake Viewon April 9, 2020 at 5:10 pm

A 16-year-old girl and a CTA security guard were shot on a Red Line train early Thursday when the guard’s gun discharged in his pocket while two guards confronted her.

A 38-year-old guard confronted the girl about 4 a.m. on a moving train for causing a “disturbance,” Chicago police said, although it is unclear what the disturbance was.

The confrontation got physical and the gun went off inside the guard’s pocket, according to preliminary information from police. The guard was shot in the leg, while the girl was grazed in her abdomen.

Officers responded to the train in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue, police said. The pair were taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition, police said.

The two security guards involved in the incident were contracted by the CTA from Chicago-based Digby Security Services, the CTA said in a statement.

“The actions of these security guards are completely unacceptable–and wholly contrary to their mission to protect customers,” the transit agency said. “CTA absolutely will not tolerate this lack of professionalism, and has directed its security contractor to remove both guards permanently from CTA. CTA continues to work with the Chicago Police Department to investigate the incident.”

In a statement, Digby Security Services said the two security officers were trying to “de-escalate a situation,” and have been removed from their positions during an investigation.

Area North detectives are questioning everyone involved in the incident, police said.

In other CTA violence, a man was killed Tuesday after someone threw him from a Red Line platform in the Loop into a moving train at Jackson.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

Read More