Tremaine Anderson, 30, was silently working his way through the carriages at 5:50 a.m. Blue Line train at Chicago’s Cumberland station, stealing scared commuters. When Jean-Paul LaPierre noticed that many of the people on the train looked to be moving in the incorrect way, he asked a spectator what was going on.
When the armed criminal was pointed out to him, the 52-year-old Boston native, who was visiting the city to run in the Chicago Marathon, became enraged. Rather than remaining silent or escaping the situation like the other passengers, LaPierre determined that he would not tolerate such cruelty.
LaPierre went immediately to the part of the train where Anderson was standing, marched right up to the armed man, and insisted that he hand over the pistol. The courageous Bostonian then mustered his combat talents to somehow disarm the thief.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t much of a battle. In truth, although being considerably taller and bigger than LaPierre, Anderson appeared to dread his adversary and finally obeyed his commands. LaPierre had gotten the revolver out of the accused’s grip and was pushing him up against the train door with his left arm. LaPierre warned the man who was in control whenever he refused.
LaPierre urged a civilian to grab the gun and set the safety on it because he needed to use his other hand to hold the thief at bay. He was then forced to confine Anderson until the cops arrived.
Thankfully, LaPierre’s courage and will kept Anderson in check until cops came. The accused, though, quickly defied officials, refusing to turn over onto his stomach. As a result, LaPierre returned to the battle and “flipped him over like a hamburger” so the authorities could handcuff him.
While the rest of the passengers on the train stood by and watched, LaPierre denied to let innocent individuals be intimidated. A back-and-forth between him and Anderson indicated why he intervened despite warnings from the accused’s accomplices to release go of their comrade.
LaPierre went on to finish his 12th Chicago Marathon with a big smile and a clear conscience. Surprisingly, another runner on the train who occurred to be one of Anderson’s targets hailed LaPierre for intervening.
Anderson was detained and charged with felony robbery with a handgun on one count. He is said to have a significant criminal history that includes attempted robbery, violence, and public obscenity. He is being detained without bond at the moment.
It just needed one courageous person to stand up to evil. Of course, his gruff Bostonian temperament, rigorous combat training, and self-defense abilities also contributed.
