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Three Men on Red Line Rob, Attack Man With Bottle: Prosecutors

By Erin Meyer | November 14, 2013 5:42pm
 Three Red Line riders bashed a 49-year-old man in the head with a glass bottle and robbed him, and then ripped off another man's Newport cigarettes in two separate attacks minutes apart on Monday, prosecutors said. Charged were, from left, David Ferguson, 24; Julian Garita, 25, and Josimar Garita, 26.
Three Red Line riders bashed a 49-year-old man in the head with a glass bottle and robbed him, and then ripped off another man's Newport cigarettes in two separate attacks minutes apart on Monday, prosecutors said. Charged were, from left, David Ferguson, 24; Julian Garita, 25, and Josimar Garita, 26.
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Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Three Red Line riders bashed a 49-year-old man in the head with a glass bottle and robbed him, and then ripped off another man's Newport cigarettes in two separate attacks minutes apart on Monday, prosecutors said.

The alleged attack began on board a CTA Red Line train when three men started causing a scene and swearing loudly at other passengers at around midnight, Cook County Assistant States Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said. They went after a 39-year-old rider, punching him in the face.

When the man tried to escape the attack and exit the train at the Thorndale Avenue station, the group followed him, Scaduto said. One of them cracked the man over the head with a glass bottle, "causing him to bleed profusely," and they wrested his backpack away from him, she said.

The man called 911 and notified a CTA worker.

About 10 minutes later, one of the three attackers asked a man in the 1000 block of West Glenlake Avenue for a cigarette, but was refused, officials said. The man shoved the man against a fence, robbing him of his Newports, a lighter and wallet, Scaduto said. He then ordered the man to go to an ATM and withdraw money.

But police arrived and the men were arrested a short time later near the scene. One man spit on a cop during the arrests, prosecutors said.

The man struck with the bottle later identified the three men as his attackers, police said. He was taken to the hospital where doctors stitched up his head, prosecutors said.

Josimar Garita, 26, of the 5500 block of North Ashland Ave., was charged with aggravated battery, robber and spitting on the police officer, officials said.

David Ferguson, 24, of the 5400 block of North Ashland Ave., was charged with two counts of robbery.

The third alleged mugger, Julian Garita, 25, who lives at the same address as Josimar and is possibly a relative, is charged with one count of armed robbery.

Josimar Garita and Ferguson were each ordered held on $150,000 bail by Cook County Judge Israel Desierto Thursday during a brief court hearing. Julian Garita was ordered held on $50,000 bond.