Shooting in train or on platform at Chicago Union Station (08/24/21)

[AmtrakBlue]

The news says inside Union Station, though it actually happened on a platform and possibly inside a commuter train - which is in a more confined area.

Officials: Man shot Tuesday evening in Union Station

If you're on FB and a member of Amtrak Fans, there's more info there.

 

[moosejunky99]

It was a shooting of a murder suspect on a a train platform because police said the man ran from officers on a platform and subsequently fired shots at officers. Officers returned fire and struck the man. He was coming from California.. So, maybe he was riding on the CZ before it happened.

 

[tim49424]

I actually was at Union Station shortly after it happened, arriving around 6 on the Empire Builder. I didn’t see anything unusual and if my sleeper car attendant hadn’t said anything as I got off the train, I wouldn’t have been aware that anything had happened until I boarded the Pere Marquette and started reading online about it.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Amtrak Police Shoot Man Wanted For Murder In Union Station

 

[Manny T]

possibly inside a commuter train

I think not. The suspect arrived on the California Zephyr. Amtrak police were alerted to his arrival -- he has several outstanding warrants, including one for murder. He shot at them, they shot at him. He was hit and transported to a local hospital. As part of the incident, 3 additional individuals went to hospital, but not from gunshot wounds, from heart problems and/or lacerations (per local reporting). This happened on the platform between tracks 28 and 30. All train travel in and out of Union Station was halted for about an hour.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Bad guy plus three other take to the hospital. Opps. Press release is very light on details, not a good sign. Glad to see local press reports are reporting better information than the Amtrak press release. (Per Manny T)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I think not. The suspect arrived on the California Zephyr. Amtrak police were alerted to his arrival -- he has several outstanding warrants, including one for murder. He shot at them, they shot at him. He was hit and transported to a local hospital. As part of the incident, 3 additional individuals went to hospital, but not from gunshot wounds, from heart problems and/or lacerations (per local reporting). This happened on the platform between tracks 28 and 30. All train travel in and out of Union Station was halted for about an hour.

At the time I posted we did not know which train the suspect was on. Others, on FB, speculated it was a commuter train.
I posted an updated article where it was reported he was in the CZ.

 

[Manny T]

I think we can all learn from this:

If you need to skip town, don't take Amtrak.

 

[Cal]

I think we can all learn from this:

If you need to skip town, don't take Amtrak.

They probably could've easily gotten off at a station that's unstaffed or doesn't have police around and gotten away (if the crew was not notified/wasn't aware till later)

 

[tim49424]

I think we can all learn from this:

If you need to skip town, don't take Amtrak.

That’s for sure!

I was riding on the Pere Marquette from Holland to Chicago one day about five years ago and some guy was apprehended and taken off the train by police. He had a warrant out for his arrest on some felony and so I asked the conductor, who was a g friend of mine, what was going on, After explaining it to me, he said the fugitive’s downfall was he used his own name on the reservation. Oops! Give that guy a Darwin award!

 

[zephyr17]

They probably could've easily gotten off at a station that's unstaffed or doesn't have police around and gotten away (if the crew was not notified/wasn't aware till later)

Could have gotten off at Naperville and took a dinky the rest of the way anonymously.

 

[Burns651]

...Glad to see local press reports are reporting better information than the Amtrak press release. (Per Manny T)

Press releases, though often useful, aren't news, they're controlled public relations. Sadly, understaffed media rely on them too much these days, glad that's not the case here.

 

[TinCan782]

I think we can all learn from this:

If you need to skip town, don't take Amtrak.

Sounds like someone was checking out the passenger manifest.

 

[Eric in East County]

From what little I was able to learn from the news articles, this potentially dangerous bad guy already had a gun with him while traveling onboard the CZ. (Has it been determined if he was in coach or did he have sleeping car accommodations?) Although law enforcement knew that he was onboard, no effort was made to approach or apprehend him while the CZ was underway. Just as well since he was prepared to shoot it out with the police. (Was the onboard crew ever informed that a potentially dangerous individual was onboard?)

In another thread, there was some discussion about law enforcement boarding trains and then searching passengers’ carry-on items. (This is apparently a sensitive issue with some people.)

Incidents like this only serve to bring about calls for stricter inspection of passengers’ carry-on items BEFORE they are allowed to board their train.

 

[basketmaker]

God Bless Amtrak Police!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was riding on the Pere Marquette from Holland to Chicago one day about five years ago and some guy was apprehended and taken off the train by police. He had a warrant out for his arrest on some felony and so I asked the conductor, who was a g friend of mine, what was going on, After explaining it to me, he said the fugitive’s downfall was he used his own name on the reservation. Oops! Give that guy a Darwin award!

The arrestee might have merely shared a name with a fugitive and Darwin Awards are reserved for those who die from preventable causes before procreating.

In another thread, there was some discussion about law enforcement boarding trains and then searching passengers’ carry-on items. (This is apparently a sensitive issue with some people.)

It's a sensitive issue because of the Fourth Amendment and not everyone is willing to forfeit their rights over a clumsy fishing expedition.

 

[Steve4031]

This is one incident. There have been a few of these on Amtrak in the past 20 years. I’m not sure it necessary to search everyone for guns.

 

[zephyr17]

Oh, hell, no. Keep TSA searches off Amtrak.

 

[NSC1109]

Oh, hell, no. Keep TSA searches off Amtrak.

the last time TSA tried to search on Amtrak property it ended up with TSA being thrown off the station by Amtrak PD. Kind of amusing actually.

https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-teams/index.html

 

[Eric in East County]

Last month when we rode the SWC from Chicago to Los Angeles, a uniformed/armed member of the Amtrak police force was on our train. We saw him walk by our bedroom before we departed from CHI and saw him again when he detrained with us at Fullerton. As far as we know, he kept a low profile for the entire trip BUT HE WAS THERE IF NEEDED.

Does anyone know if having a member of the Amtrak police on board long distance trains is customary or does it only happen randomly?

Does anyone know if the CZ involved in this incident had a uniformed member of the Amtrak police on board?

 

[Cal]

Last month when we rode the SWC from Chicago to Los Angeles, a uniformed/armed member of the Amtrak police force was on our train. We saw him walk by our bedroom before we departed from CHI and saw him again when he detrained with us at Fullerton. As far as we know, he kept a low profile for the entire trip BUT HE WAS THERE IF NEEDED.

Does anyone know if having a member of the Amtrak police on board long distance trains is customary or does it only happen randomly?

Does anyone know if the CZ involved in this incident had a uniformed member of the Amtrak police on board?

I personally have never seen Amtrak police on an LD train (or actually, a train) before. Only around at larger stations.

 

[ms garrison]

It's good the fugitive was apprehended in the Amtrak area of the station. The other trackage is used by our Metra, our commuter train, and at that time of the day is full of folks heading home.