Two men groped a pair of CTA employees and threatened to rape the women at the 95th Red Line Station over the weekend, Cook County prosecutors said Monday.
Nimrod Morgan and Darris LeBlanc then allegedly had a laugh on a platform at the South Side station.
Morgan and LeBlanc first approached a 43-year-old CTA employees working in a booth after she asked the men to stop smoking over the intercom system early Sunday, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.
LeBlanc, 22, went on to grab the woman’s private areas over her clothes, and 42-year-old Morgan told her they were going to rape her, Murphy said.
The woman told the men “no” and called for help over her work radio before they left.
Moments later, LeBlanc took his penis out of his pants and started to wave it at another CTA employee, who was riding up the station’s escalator, Murphy said. That victim, 32, started running down the escalator as Morgan and LeBlanc chased her onto the platform, Murphy said.
LeBlanc and Morgan allegedly went on to grab the woman’s breast and buttocks over her clothes. LeBlanc then said something along the lines of “let me get some” while Morgan also told that victim that “they were going to rape her,” Murphy said. Morgan also allegedly asked to touch the woman’s hair.
The woman ran away from the men and called her work radio for help. Meanwhile, the first victim called police.
When Chicago police officers arrived, the first victim identified LeBlanc and Morgan as her attackers, Murphy said. The second victim also identified the two men in photo arrays at the police station, Murphy said.
Both women gave full statements to investigators and Morgan and LeBlanc were charged with criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery.
Both attacks were captured on CTA surveillance cameras, Murphy said.
A CTA spokesperson said assaults against public transit employees are “absolutely unacceptable” and that the transit agency is helping with the criminal investigation.
“We take any incident against our employees very seriously,” the spokesperson said in a written statement. “Our employees are providing essential transit service every day, and we have zero tolerance for anyone seeking to harm them.”
LeBlanc has a pending robbery case in Indiana. He also has several prior juvenile convictions, Murphy said.
Morgan has four misdemeanor convictions, Murphy said.
LeBlanc, a lifelong Chicagoan, lives with his uncle and is helping to raise two stepchildren, an assistant public defender said. The defense attorney also said Morgan is the primary caretaker of his mother, who has kidney failure.
Morgan was ordered held on $150,000 bail and LeBlanc was ordered held on $350,000 bail.
Both men are expected back in court Aug. 2.
