CHICAGO — New video shows the moment a Good Samaritan disarmed a robber on a CTA Blue Line train Sunday morning before the Chicago Marathon.

As the train stopped at Cumberland, Jean Paul LaPierre stepped off and asked another commuter why marathoners seemed to be rushing for the doors.

“I said ‘this doesn’t seem like the right way.’ He said ‘No, there’s a guy on the train walking around right now robbing people.' That kind of made me mad,” LaPierre said.

He decided to head back onto the train and confront the man entirely on his own. What happened next was caught on video by a passenger still on the train.

LaPierre grapples with the the robber and hold him against the side of the train, pulling the gun from his hand in the process. The suspect yells at LaPierre to let him go, but he refuses.

“I’m not letting you go! I’m not letting you go! I’m not letting you go!”

In town from the Boston area where he runs a storage facility, the 54-year-old said he’s used to tough guys. Golden Gloves boxing in his youth armed him for this encounter.

“I’m a boxer. I’ll break your head in one punch,” he says in the video.

A marathon runner who was threatened moments earlier said she’s thankful LaPierre was there.

“He didn’t hesitate to step in at all. It was incredible to see; because everyone else just sat there frozen,” she said.

After pulling the gun from the alleged robber's hand, LaPierre handed it off to another passenger. He said the man had friends on the train who tried to intimidate him into letting him go, but he held on until police arrived.

“They started threatening me but I just stood in his face. The guy kept saying to me, ‘It’s just a gun, let me go, let me go.’ I kept telling him, 'you’re not going anywhere,'” LaPierre said.

“It don’t matter,” the suspect says in the video.

“It matters to me,” LaPierre replies.

According to police, 30-year old Tremaine Anderson is charged with one felony count of robbery with a firearm.

He has a long history of prior arrests, including attempted robbery, battery and public indecency. A judge ordered him held without bond.

LaPierre said he went on to run his 12th Chicago Marathon, although he admits he's a “bandit,” meaning he sometimes runs without registering and paying.

And despite the stand-off on the CTA, LaPierre says he loves Chicago.

“It’s one of the best cities I’ve ever visited. Incidents happen all over. It is what it is, you know?!” LaPierre said.

FILED IN: WGN INVESTIGATES

link: https://wgntv.com/2019/10/15/i...-on-blue-line-train/

Great story. Probably won't make the news. Has nothing to do with the Ukraine.

And they say one person can’t make a difference. He sure made a difference to everyone on the train that day.
Courageous, heroic and maybe a little crazy?

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” Salute to Mr. LaPierre. He was not going to stand around and do nothing.

"Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have fucked with? That's him".

Haha, I love old-school East Coast types. "Black belt in Karate, I have no problem breaking your neck."

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
"Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have fucked with? That's him".

Takes a dudes gun, in front of his gangster friends, saves a train full of people, no problem! Then he runs a marathon original Mr. Cool. Probably on Chuck Norris’ list of people to keep an eye on!!

Like how that one woman says, "Please. Don't make it any worse." LaPierre already had the gun. Did she want him to give it back?

The other lady did not how to put the safety on the gun. A little knowledge of firearms can be helpful.

quote:

The other lady did not how to put the safety on the gun. A little knowledge of firearms can be helpful.

Did that gun even have a safety?

quote:

Did that gun even have a safety?

^^^^^^^^^^? .
I could not see well enough myself. What kind of gun was it?

My kind of hero. Wonder if he's related to Wayne?

From the link in the OP:

"According to police, 30-year old Tremaine Anderson is charged with one felony count of robbery with a firearm.

He has a long history of prior arrests, including attempted robbery, battery and public indecency. A judge ordered him held without bond."

Maybe he'll stay in jail.

quote:

Possessing or carrying any weapon including, but not limited to, guns, clubs, knives, stun guns, tasers and explosive devices. This does not apply to those individuals authorized under Section 5/24-2 of the Illinois Criminal Code to carry weapons onto transit or to pepper spray.

I bet that criminal was authorized under that code to carry a weapon.

Just shows that outlaws don't give a shit about laws.

What's more shocking? The behavior of this man, or the cowardly sheep sitting idly buy waiting to be prayed upon, who were not even willing to aide this man after he took matters into his own hands and saved their bacon? LaPierre impresses my big time, while the rest of the people on that train disgust me.

Kudos to him for taking a stand. Although as a guy who has paid thousands of dollars in race entry fees, I’m a bit peeved he ran as a bandit. Oh well. I’ll let it slide.

Once again, man with a gun in a "gun-free zone."

LaPierre kept his finger off the trigger while keeping the weapon away from the robber, and pointed in a safe direction: he maintained control of both until he could hand it off. Nicely done.

The temptation to use the firearm to hold the man would have been considerable, and he'd have been in his right to do so. The fact that he held the man and didn't use the weapon speaks volumes about his comfort level and ability to do so.

Very disappointing, the other passengers, who not only failed to express gratitude, or give space, but actually tried to talk LaPierre out of holding the man.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
Kudos to him for taking a stand. Although as a guy who has paid thousands of dollars in race entry fees, I’m a bit peeved he ran as a bandit. Oh well. I’ll let it slide.

He was wearing a Chicago marathon number on his right leg. It’s clear he paid.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
What's more shocking? The behavior of this man, or the cowardly sheep sitting idly buy waiting to be prayed upon, who were not even willing to aide this man after he took matters into his own hands and saved their bacon? LaPierre impresses my big time, while the rest of the people on that train disgust me.

Agreed. The passenger that said "Don't make it worse" blew me away. Seems like things got a whole lot better after the thug lost his gun.

Cast. Iron. Balls.

H&K-Guy

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
What's more shocking? The behavior of this man, or the cowardly sheep sitting idly buy waiting to be prayed upon, who were not even willing to aide this man after he took matters into his own hands and saved their bacon? LaPierre impresses my big time, while the rest of the people on that train disgust me.

Agreed. The passenger that said "Don't make it worse" blew me away. Seems like things got a whole lot better after the thug lost his gun.

Sadly, that is a trained response from years of conditioning that the job of protecting you belongs to the police/government/military/etc. The thought of protecting themselves is alien to them.