CHICAGO – A man with a violent criminal history has been sentenced to 4½ years for beating a man unconscious on a Red Line train in the Loop.
Joshua Savado, 34, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in exchange for Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer’s sentence, court records show.
On Oct. 11 last year, Savado and the 53-year-old victim were riding in the same Red Line train car when Savado yelled at the victim to “get the hell away” from his bike, prosecutors alleged in a lawsuit. . A few minutes later, Savado shouted that he had told [the victim] to get the fuck away from his bike and that this was his goddamn train,” the document continued.
CCTV footage from the train car showed Savado punching the victim in the face without provocation, knocking him unconscious, prosecutors said. Savado continued to attack the victim as he lay “defenseless” on the floor of the train, prosecutors said.
When the train arrived at Lake Street, Savado reportedly dragged the victim’s body to the platform, then returned to the train car and continued his journey.
The victim suffered four facial fractures and had to undergo surgery to repair his eye, prosecutors said.
Savado’s sentence will be reduced by 50% for good behavior. With credit for the time he has spent in prison awaiting trial, he is expected to be released on parole on January 12, 2026.
Savado’s previous arrests include:
- A misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly punched a 56-year-old Jewel employee in the nose at the company’s 550 North State location on May 13, 2023. He was sentenced to serve 15 days in jail on May 30.
- Felony charges were filed after a 36-year-old man accused him of grabbing him by the shirt, pushing him away and saying, “What are you going to do? What’s up?” at Chick-fil-A, 177 North State, on September 11 last year. Prosecutors dropped the case a month later.
- On September 22, 2015, he was accused of punching a 66-year-old man in a wheelchair in Rogers Park, throwing a vase at the victim and his caregiver and having a physical altercation with the arresting officers. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge a year later in exchange for a two-day jail sentence, according to court records.
- Prosecutors said he assaulted a 23-year-old victim and took the man’s wallet at the North-Clybourn Red Line station in September 2015. He pleaded guilty to robbery in 2016 and was given a five-year prison sentence by Judge Charles Burns.
Original reporting you won’t see anywhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
Tim Hecke is the managing partner of CWBChicago. He started his career at KMOX, the legendary news radio station in St. Louis. From there he went on to work at stations in Minneapolis, Chicago and New York City. Tim went on to build syndicated radio news and content services serving each of America’s 100 largest radio markets. He became managing partner of CWBChicago in 2019. His email address is tim@cwbchicago.com
