Mijawon Johnson: Eight-time felon leaves Chicago woman brain dead after punching and stomping on her head in attempted robbery on train
Trigger Warning: This article contains recollection of the crime. Readers' discretion is advised.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A Chicago woman has been left brain dead after she was brutally beaten by an eight-time felon, police said, as per Daily Mail.
The 61-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was riding the CTA Red Line on January 4 when she was targeted by two men. One of them was Mijawon Johnson, who is a convicted criminal.
Victim on ventilator after being attacked by Mijawon Johnson
As the accused attempted to steal her purse, Johnson pinned the woman to a seat repeatedly punched and stomped her head and stomach, and jumped on her "with all of his weight", prosecutors said.
At the time of the attack, Johnson was serving six prison terms for armed robbery. He has been charged with attempted murder. The charges may increase given the woman's poor prognosis.
Around 1:30 am, when Johnson was seen approaching the victim in a train car in the surveillance footage. During the attempted robbery, the attacker went into a violent rage, hitting the woman's stomach and head several times, according to officials.
He then left her on the train.
After over twelve minutes following the attack, the train arrived at Roosevelt Station. The victim was discovered by the attendants. The victim is believed to currently be "on a ventilator and brain dead", CWB Chicago reported.
Prosecutors said she is not expected to live.
Mijawon Johnson arrested next day after the attack
Fear in the area increased as career criminal Johnson remained at large after authorities named him as the suspect, prompting the local police precincts to get a bulletin.
On January 5, the day following the attack, he was arrested by patrol police after they spotted him on a CTA bus and stopped the vehicle.
Johnson is currently accused of two counts of aggravated violence and attempted murder after seven prior convictions. In addition, he has been charged separately with breaking an order of protection when it was said that he went into the Old Town residence of a 27-year-old woman while under an injunction to leave the area.
The attack has sparked outrage among the community, with many questioning why Johnson was on the streets considering his violent criminal history.
At the time of the train attack, Johnson was on parole following his release from prison in August, after serving half of a six-year prison stretch for armed robbery.
