Facial recognition tech helps cops ID Red Line robber

Michael McKinney (Chicago Police Department)

A man who skipped court after allegedly attacking a CTA bus driver over the summer is back in custody, accused of attacking and robbing a passenger on a Red Line train after facial recognition technology helped police identify him.

Michael McKinney, 24, was arrested on June 24 for allegedly punching a 41-year-old bus driver in the 5900 block of West Madison Street after being told to leave the bus. The driver told police McKinney punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground, and continued striking him, causing swelling and bleeding near his right eye.

Prosecutors did not ask a judge to detain McKinney, who was released to await trial. Court records show he failed to appear on July 21, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.

That warrant was still active on September 14 when McKinney boarded a southbound Red Line train around 9:30 p.m., prosecutors said. Without provocation, he allegedly approached a seated passenger and began punching him, causing the man to fall. McKinney took the victim’s backpack, which contained work materials, and fled the train at 95th Street, prosecutors alleged.

CTA security cameras recorded the attack and robbery. Detectives submitted still images from the footage to a facial recognition program operated by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, which matched the robber’s image to McKinney, according to prosecutors. Investigators then contacted officers who had arrested McKinney in June. They also identified him from the CTA footage.

Judge Shauna Boliker detained McKinney for failing to appear and on a new charge of robbery.

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