Man gets work program, court supervision for punching Metra conductor

A northwest suburban man was sentenced Thursday to a work program and 12 months of court supervision after he punched a Metra conductor last December at Union Station.

George J. Kopsias, 51, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery, according to a statement from Metra police.

Kopsias, of Buffalo Grove, boarded North Central Service train No. 116 at Union Station downtown about 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 8 and punched the conductor with a closed fist, according to Metra police.

He then got off the train and walked north to the Madison Street exit to the station, pushing a baby stroller with his wife and three children, police said. The conductor followed him up the stairs from the platform to Madison, where Kopsis again “made contact” with the conductor and tried to push him down the stairs.

The conductor was treated for facial injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released, police said.

Metra detectives recovered video of the suspect entering and exiting the train station and were able to positively identify him as Kopsias.

On Thursday, Judge Marvin P. Luckman sentenced Kopsias to five days on a sheriff’s work program and 12 months of court supervision, Metra police said. He was also ordered to have no further contact with the conductor and to pay fines and court costs.