Police say Buffalo Grove man punched Metra conductor
A Buffalo Grove man is facing battery charges after police say he punched a Metra conductor in the face and tried to push him down a stairway at Union Station.
George J. Kopsias, 51, is due in bond court Wednesday, charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery to a transit employee, according to a Metra news release.
Authorities from the Metra Police Department said Kopsias punched the conductor with a closed fist after boarding North Central Service train No. 116 around 4:40 p.m. Dec. 8 at Union Station in Chicago.
Officials say he then exited the train and walked north to the station's Madison Street exit, pushing a baby stroller with his wife and three children. The conductor followed him up the stairs from the platform, and Kopsias again made physical contact with the conductor and tried to push him down the stairs, according to the Metra news release.
The conductor was treated for facial injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released.
“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,” Metra Police Chief Joseph Perez said in the release.
Metra police said they had video of the suspect entering and exiting the train station and were able to positively identify him as Kopsias.
He will appear in bond court at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Cook County Criminal Court Building in Chicago.