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CTA Security, Attendant Failed To Help Mugging Victim

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A CTA passenger says he got jumped by a group of men at a bus stop Tuesday night, but security guards and a CTA customer assistant refused to call for emergency help.

As CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports, John Hernandez said it happened while he was waiting to get home at the 47th Street bus stop just outside the 47th Street Red Line station.

"As I'm walking to the bus. I didn't get two steps and they jumped me from behind and basically started hitting me," Hernandez said.

He said he had taken out his iPhone to check the CTA Bus Tracker, when "I realized there was a couple of guys hanging around and they kind of gave each other a signal. So i put my phone away."

He saw the bus coming, so he thought he was safe, but instead the men beat him to the ground.

"Before you know it, they were on me," he said. "They punched me, from the side, I didn't even see it coming, really and I just got pushed to the ground and the whole thing lasted like 10 seconds."

That's not all. Hernandez said he ran to a CTA attendant and two security guards, begging them to call the cops.

He said one of the security guards asked him, "why didn't you yell." He also claimed the CTA attendant just pointed him to a pay phone.

"He just looked at me and he kind of got up slowly and said well, the pay phones are over there," Hernandez said. "At that point I realized that I was not going to get any help and I was scared to be there by myself, so I turned and I saw that the bus was still there. So I ran to the bus and I got on."

The CTA issued a statement, saying the customer assistant or security guard is supposed to contact the CTA control center to report that a customer needs assistance. Control center personnel will call the city's 911 center.

But Hernandez said that none of that happened.

"I'm not so much angry, as I'm really disappointed, because I needed help and people there that are supposed to help me, supposed to help us, didn't. They didn't raise a finger."

He was left with a couple of cuts and questions about whether a security camera recorded the attack, not to mention why no one would help.

"It was just beyond anything I've ever experienced in my life," Hernandez said.

He said the CTA did email him, apologizing for the workers' failure to help. He also said a bus driver told him the camera on the bus caught the incident.

The CTA said it also could help to identify the workers. The video will be turned over to police for investigation.

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