A Buffalo Grove man today pleaded guilty to assaulting a Metra conductor last December at Chicago Union Station.
George J. Kopsias, 51, of Buffalo Grove, appeared today in Cook County Court and pleaded guilty to battery to a transit employee, a Class 3 Felony. Judge Marvin P. Luckman sentenced Kopsias to five days on a sheriff’s work program and 12 months of court supervision. He was also ordered to have no further contact with the conductor and to pay fines and court costs.
On Dec. 8, 2015, Kopsias boarded North Central Service train No. 116 in Union Station at about 4:40 p.m. and punched the conductor with a closed fist. He then exited the train and walked north along the platform to the station’s Madison Street exit, pushing a baby stroller with his wife and three children. The conductor followed the suspect up the stairs from the platform to Madison, where the suspect again made physical contact with the conductor and tried to push him down the stairs.
The conductor was treated for facial injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released.
The Metra Police Department later identified Kopsias from video of the offender entering and exiting the train station and issued a warrant for his arrest.
“The safety of our conductors and of our passengers is our highest priority, and we will vigorously investigate all incidents and seek to prosecute all suspects to the fullest extent of the law,” said Metra Police Chief Joseph Perez.
Metra reminds its customers to report any and all suspicious or criminal activity on Metra property to Metra Police at 312-322-2800.
