- Mijawon Johnson, 36, is accused of brutally beating a woman on a Chicago train
- During an attempted robbery, he allegedly pinned her to a chair and almost stomped her to death. She is not expected to survive, officials said
- The convicted criminal was on parole for armed robbery and had been incarcerated six times between 2007 and 2015
A Chicago woman was left brain dead after being brutally beaten by an eight-time felon, police said.
The 61-year-old woman, who has not yet been identified, was riding on the CTA Red Line on January 4 when she was targeted by two men – one of whom was convicted felon Mijawon Johnson, 36.
As they tried to steal her purse, Johnson pinned the woman to a chair and repeatedly punched and stomped on her head and stomach, and jumped on her “with all his weight,” prosecutors said.
Johnson was on parole for armed robbery at the time of the attack, has served six prison sentences and now faces charges including attempted murder – which could be upgraded because the woman is not expected to survive.
Mijawon Johnson, 36, allegedly punched and stomped the woman on a Chicago train around 1:30 a.m. on January 4 in a frenzied attack
The victim, a 61-year-old woman who has not yet been identified, was found by train staff at a station about 12 minutes away from where the attack took place.
The assault broke out around 1:30 a.m., when Johnson was reportedly captured on surveillance footage approaching the woman in a train car.
At some point during the attempted robbery, the attacker went into a frenzy and repeatedly attacked the woman’s head and stomach.
Officials said he “stamped” her before leaving her for dead on the train. She was found by train crews as they pulled into Roosevelt Station – about 12 minutes after the line where the attack occurred.
It is believed the victim is currently ‘on a ventilator and brain dead’, CWB Chicago reported. Prosecutors said she is not expected to live.
After investigators identified Johnson as the suspect, a bulletin was sent to the local police station as fears grew while the career criminal remained at large.
He was arrested the day after the attack on January 5, when patrol officers caught him on a CTA bus and pulled over the vehicle to take him into custody.
After seven previous convictions, Johnson now faces charges of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery.
He also faces a separate charge of violating a protective order after allegedly entering a 27-year-old woman’s home in Old Town despite orders to stay away from the property.
The alleged attacker was on parole for armed robbery at the time of the incident and has already served six prison terms
The attack has sparked outrage among the community, with many questioning why Johnson was on the streets given 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 sentence for armed robbery.
He was framed on St. Patrick’s Day in 2021 when he robbed an undercover narcotics officer, allegedly holding his hand at his side to give the impression he had a gun.
The undercover officer handed over his phone and money, which had been serialized to help investigators track drug purchases, according to a reported CPD case report.
Johnson was arrested after the undercover officer gave a secret signal that he was being robbed, the report said.
He had already been sentenced to prison six times between 2007 and 2015. At the time of the armed robbery, he was also on parole for seriously wounding a police officer at a train station, CWB Chicago reports.