A horrifying act of violence claimed the life of 37-year-old Dominique Pollion early on January 11, 2026, aboard a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train in the city’s bustling Loop district.
The unprovoked attack occurred around 2:30 a.m. as the train traveled through downtown, targeting Pollion while he slept peacefully against a window after riding for approximately an hour. Prosecutors described the incident as entirely random, with no prior interaction between the victim and his assailant, underscoring the vulnerability of passengers during late-night commutes on public transit.
The suspect, 40-year-old Demetrius Thurman, entered the same train car holding a cellphone in one hand and a large knife in the other, approaching Pollion stealthily from behind. He began recording video on his phone before delivering the initial strikes—one deep stab to the chest near the heart and another to the abdomen—forcing Pollion to awaken in agony.
As the victim screamed and attempted to retreat down the aisle, Thurman persisted with multiple additional stabs, capturing the brutal sequence on camera while maintaining a chilling composure throughout the assault.
After the attack, Thurman moved to an adjacent train car but later returned to film the aftermath through a window once the train halted at the Clark and Lake station, a major hub in the 100 block of West Lake Street. He reportedly turned the camera on himself, uttering phrases indicating satisfaction with the act before exiting the area. CTA security officers, alerted by a passenger, boarded and discovered Pollion collapsed in the aisle, initially unaware of the stab wounds concealed beneath his multiple layers of clothing in the winter chill.
Emergency responders rushed Pollion to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where medical staff located the severe injuries and pronounced him dead shortly after arrival from multiple sharp force traumas ruled as homicide. Chicago police swiftly launched an investigation, utilizing CTA surveillance footage to generate a still image that, processed through facial recognition technology, identified Thurman.
The case has intensified scrutiny on safety protocols aboard the CTA system, already facing criticism amid a series of violent incidents in recent years, including threats of federal funding cuts unless improvements are implemented. Authorities noted Thurman’s admission during questioning and his prior minor encounters with law enforcement, though no clear motive has emerged beyond the apparent randomness.