Man Threatens CTA Yellow Line Operator, Resists Officer: Police

SKOKIE, IL — A Chicago man accused of threatening a CTA train operator resisted efforts by Skokie police to arrest him Tuesday, authorities said.

Daniel Rupert, 29, of the first block of West 112th Place, was arrested shortly before 9:30 a.m. at the Dempster Street station after causing a disturbance on a CTA Yellow Line train, according to police and prosecutors.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Gina Pensa said the operator called police to report Rupert was shouting and moving between cars while she was driving the train.

"Then [Rupert] yelled at her, saying 'B----, I'm going to beat your a--.' The CTA employee was concerned for her safety and locked the window door," Pensa said. "That's when [Rupert] came up to the window and began banging on the window of the compartment, yelling at the CTA employee."

Skokie police reported Rupert resisted the officer who took him into custody by stiffening his body and arms in an attempt to avoid being handcuffed.

Rupert was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer and was due to appear in court in Skokie for a bond hearing.

But Rupert's court-appointed attorney, Assistant Public Defender Sarah Manning, said he had declined to be interviewed and refused to appear for the hearing Tuesday afternoon.

"He was unwilling to speak to me and told me that he would not be attending court today," Manning told the judge.

Pensa said Rupert has two previous felony convictions that led to state prison. He was sentenced to two years in state prison for a 2019 burglary offense after picking up a three-year sentence for a 2015 aggravated battery to police conviction.

Rupert is separately awaiting trial on a charge of misdemeanor battery stemming from a 2020 incident. His next court date is March 17 on that matter.

Representatives of unions representing Chicago Transit Authority workers have called for more security resources to protect workers and riders. In 2021, the number of violent crimes on the system rose by 7.7 percent to a six-year high of 624, and the union representing bus drivers reported nearly 400 verbal and physical assaults on drivers last year. On Wednesday, CTA President Dorval Carter announced plans to double the number of unarmed security guards patrolling the system.

Cook County Associate Judge Frank Andreou ordered that Rupert be held at Cook County Jail unless he can post a $1,000 cash bond for the new charges.

Andreou ordered Rupert not to have contact with the employee but rejected the prosecution's request to ban him from all CTA trains should he be released on bail ahead of his next court appearance Tuesday.

"I don't really like the penal system to be his mental health, but we don't really have any other choice here. There's something clearly going on," Andreou said.

"I don't want him out on the street either because of the condition he's in right now," the judge said. "I think he does pose a risk."