The 38-year-old security guard was on a train in the 900-block of West Belmont Avenue when at about 3:56 a.m., he approached a 16-year-old girl who was causing a disturbance, police said.
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They got into a minor physical altercation which caused the guard's gun to fire while in his pocket, wounding him in the leg and wounding the teen in her stomach, police said.
Both were transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in good condition. Area North detectives are investigating.
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CTA Red and Brown lines were bypassing the Belmont stop, but normal service has since resumed.
The CTA said in a statement it is asking security contractor Digby Security Services to remove two of its security guards over the incident.
"The actions of these security guards are completely unacceptable-and wholly contrary to their mission to protect customers," the CTA said in a statement. "CTA absolutely will not tolerate this lack of professionalism, and has directed its security contractor to remove both guards permanently from CTA. CTA continues to work with the Chicago Police Department to investigate the incident."
Digby Security released a statement saying, "Digby's Detective & Security Agency, Inc. is aware of the altercation that occurred early this morning on April 9, 2020 with two of our security officers and a teenager on the CTA Red Line in Lakeview. Unfortunately, one of our officers and the teenager were both injured during an attempt to de-escalate a situation. Our prayers and focus are with the teenager and our officer for a speedy recovery at this time. We are working closely with CPD detectives who are investigating. Both security officers have been removed from their position until further investigation."