The quiet hum of the Chicago ‘L’ train masked a chilling act of violence early Saturday morning. A man, now identified as Demetrius Thurman, allegedly ended the life of a sleeping stranger, Dominique Pollion, in a brutal and calculated attack.
Prosecutors allege the horror unfolded on a Blue Line train around 2:17 a.m. Pollion had been asleep for nearly an hour, undisturbed, unaware of the danger lurking nearby. The two men were complete strangers, their paths destined to tragically collide.
What makes this case particularly disturbing is the alleged recording of the attack itself. Thurman, according to court records, activated his phone’s camera *before* the stabbing, documenting the entire event with chilling detachment.
He approached Pollion from behind, wielding a knife with a shockingly visible bright-orange handle. A single, precise stab wound to the chest, near the heart, and another to the abdomen proved fatal. Pollion awoke screaming, desperately trying to escape down the aisle before collapsing.
Thurman didn’t flee immediately. Instead, he calmly switched trains, leaving Pollion to succumb to his injuries. Surveillance footage from the CTA, and crucially, the video from Thurman’s own phone, captured the aftermath of the attack.
In a disturbing display, Thurman allegedly turned the camera back on himself as the train arrived at Clark/Lake station, his face clearly visible on the recording. He reportedly uttered the callous words, “somebody got his ass,” before exiting the station.
A vigilant passenger alerted security officers, setting in motion a swift investigation. Images extracted from the surveillance video were run through Illinois’ facial recognition program, leading to a potential identification.
Remarkably, a Chicago police officer recognized Thurman from a previous encounter just days before. The officer had found Thurman sleeping on a Blue Line train and had even taken down his driver’s license information.
Armed with this information, police arrested Thurman on Sunday. He was found wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance footage and possessed the phone containing the damning recordings, along with photos of other unsuspecting sleeping passengers.
The evidence mounted quickly. Thurman’s cousin reportedly identified him from the surveillance footage, and prosecutors claim Thurman himself confessed to the stabbing. He now faces first-degree murder charges.
This incident adds to a growing concern over safety on Chicago’s public transit system. Just weeks prior, a horrific incident involving a woman set on fire on a downtown train drew federal attention and scrutiny.
Federal transit officials have demanded a more robust safety plan from the CTA within 90 days, threatening to withhold a significant portion of federal funding if improvements aren’t made. The city is grappling with a stark reality: the need to restore a sense of security for its commuters.
Thurman’s past reveals a history of run-ins with the law, including disorderly conduct, DUI, and a recent traffic arrest in 2023. His next court date is scheduled for January 20th, where he will face the consequences of his alleged actions.
