Man charged after fleeing onto CTA Pink Line tracks during arrest

A man faces multiple felony charges after police caught him with a gun on the CTA Pink Line Thursday night, prompting him to run onto the elevated tracks and briefly halt train service on the West Side.

About 6:55 p.m., officers working on a robbery report aboard the Pink Line at the Western station in the 2000 block of South Western Avenue encountered 39-year-old Steven Mitchell rolling what appeared to be a joint, according to a statement from Chicago police.

After citing him for marijuana use, an officer escorting Mitchell off the train felt a weapon inside his waistband, police said. While trying to arrest him, he allegedly ran away and jumped onto the tracks.

Pink Line trains were halted at Western, suspending service between 18th Street and Polk stations for about an hour, according to a CTA alert.

Mitchell was taken into custody after a police chase and treated for minor injuries at Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

He was later charged with felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a convicted felon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon without a Firearm Owner’s Identification card, police said. He also faces misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to state land and reckless conduct.