Members of the Guardian Angels were patrolling the Roosevelt CTA train station on Dec. 27, 2011, a day after a 21-year-old man was shot at the station. (Credit: CBS)
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Guardian Angels are patrolling near the CTA’s Roosevelt train station after a 21-year-old man was shot there Monday night.
The group said members will patrol the subway and ‘L’ train platforms for Orange, Green and Red Line trains at Roosevelt from noon until midnight to make sure passengers are safe.
“We will make citizens arrests if we witness fights or attacks on passengers who use the CTA,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday.
As WBBM Newsradio’s John Waelti reports, Guardian Angels donning red berets were visible Tuesday afternoon on all three levels of the Roosevelt station, a popular transfer point for CTA passengers traveling to and from the South and Southwest Sides.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s John Waelti reports
Miguel Fuentes said the group views itself as a highly visible crime deterrent.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left torso and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment, authorities said. He was released from the hospital by Tuesday afternoon.
Commuters said some people were trampled as they headed up the escalators to get to safety after the shooting.
Police have interviewed several people in connection with the shooting, but no one was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.
Fuentes said, while high-profile crimes like shootings get all the attention, CTA passengers unwittingly make themselves victims of petty thefts every day.
“Doing their work, surfing the Internet, everyone now has a Twitter account and, so, they want to update, ‘Hey, I’m at this location, I’m at that location,’ not realizing that your device has just attracted the attention of a criminal,” Fuentes said.
The Guardian Angels also will beef up their present on overnight Blue Line and Red Line trains all this week.
