A Chicago man was charged with kidnapping a CTA bus driver at knifepoint during an attack that began in Logan Square and ended on the Near North Side early Wednesday.
Lanell C. Fields, 51, was charged with aggravated armed kidnapping, unlawful restraint and aggravated assault, Chicago police said. He was slated to appear in court Friday.
The kidnapping unfolded about 2:40 a.m. Wednesday aboard the No. 53 Pulaski bus in the 2400 block of North Pulaski Road, police and the CTA said.
A man riding the bus suddenly pulled a sharp object and demanded the bus “not stop,” making her drive off her route by nearly 6 miles, into the Near North Side, police said.
The driver complied, but not long after was able to climb out a window, police said.
In a statement, the CTA — which pushed for felony charges — praised police for their “swift actions” leading to the “immediate apprehension” of the suspect.