Woman spit on, shot man on CTA Red Line train; suspect in custody

CHICAGO (CBS) — A woman is in custody after spitting on and shooting a man Wednesday morning during an argument on board a CTA Red Line train on the North Side.

Police said, around 8:40 a.m., a 33-year-old man was riding a Red Line train near the Argyle stop, when a 23-year-old woman approached him, and they got into an argument.

The woman spat on the man, and then pulled out a gun and shot him in the left shoulder, according to police.

The shooting prompted some passengers to flee the train, some of them exiting along elevated tracks – an incredibly dangerous move as the third rail was still electrified.

Because multiple trains were stopped, and passengers were running in all directions, it took first responders roughly 20 minutes to find the victim. He was found on a stalled train near the Thorndale stop.

He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in fair condition. No other injuries were reported.

Some passengers who witnessed the shooting reportedly jumped into action and held down the shooter until police arrived and arrested her.

"We have to keep each other safe, and so I do appreciate anybody who stepped forward to help with the victim when something like this happens on our trains," said Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th).

Manaa-Hoppenworth said she would like to see CTA leadership do more to ensure trains are safe.

"This is one of the things that I would like to push for. I would like to see more leadership to make our trains safer. As we're increasing ridership, we also need people on the train who are there to make sure everything is running okay," she said. "The conductor is there to conduct the train. We need more people on the train to do the same thing, whether it's Safe Passage ambassadors, or just more ridership, and also people who care - like what happened today, people stepped up to make sure that everybody was safe."

Red Line service was halted between Howard and Belmont for about an hour after the shooting, but returned to normal later Wednesday morning.

Area 3 detectives were investigating.