CHICAGO — A man with an ax boarded a CTA bus and took a few swings in West Ridge Saturday, officials said. No one was hurt.
According to police, the man boarded a route 49B Western bus at the Lunt Avenue stop around 2 p.m. He was carrying what appeared to be an ax, and took a few swings.
There was "some damage caused to the bus," a CTA spokeswoman said, but no one was injured.
As of Sunday, the man was not in police custody.
Frank Hengelmann, who co-owns Chicago Coast True Value at 6942 N. Western Ave., said the man came into his store shortly before the bus attack.
The man was quiet when store employees asked him if he needed help, Hengelmann said. The man then selected a long-handled ax, about three feet in length, paid at the register and left.
Witnesses said the man walked half-a-block up the street and waited at the Lunt Avenue bus stop.
When he boarded the bus, the man swung at the bus driver, who was seated behind a protective shield. The shield shattered, witnesses said, but the driver wasn't harmed.
The man then turned and left, according to neighbors.
"He just casually walked away," said one woman who didn't want to be named. "He didn't run from the scene. ... It was pretty creepy. I have to say that."
Several people called 911, and police and fire personnel were at the scene within minutes. Officers interviewed staff at True Value, but as of Sunday morning, the man still hadn't been found.
"We're kind of puzzled," Hengelmann said. "We've been here 20 years and never had anything like this happen."
