A River North man on parole for armed robbery faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery in connection with an attack on a CTA train last week that left a 61-year-old woman comatose, authorities said.
Prosecutors on Sunday accused Mijawon Johnson, 36, of jumping on the woman and beating her with closed fists to the point that she was comatose and had multiple broken ribs. Johnson was on parole at the time he allegedly attacked the woman, prosecutors said.
The woman is now on a ventilator and in intensive care, according to a petition to deny Johnson pretrial release.
Johnson faces one charge of attempted murder with a strong probability of death, two charges of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor charge of violating an order of protection, records show.
The person who holds the order of protection against Johnson was not the person he is accused of battering on the CTA car. The alleged violation took place Dec. 31, 2023, according to an arrest report. Johnson had been on parole since August 2023 after serving part of a six-year sentence for armed robbery, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
CTA workers first found the woman seriously injured on a train car at the Roosevelt station around 1:30 a.m. Jan. 4, police said.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge William Fahy ordered Johnson detained Sunday, per court records.
Johnson is next set to appear in court Jan. 12.