An alleged repeat offender who police say shot a 17-year-old during an attempted train platform robbery was already on a pretrial release for earlier gun and robbery charges, a Chicago anti-crime advocacy group reported this week.
Late last month, prosecutors charged Malik Washington, 23, with attempted murder and attempted robbery offenses. DNA testing of a glove recovered on the Blue Line’s near-west-side platform linked him to a crime committed in December of 2023, police say.
Advocacy group CWBChicago posted Friday on X that Washington had been freed on felony charges at the time as part of the city’s relaxed bail requirements.
The gunman who shot a 17-year-old during a robbery on the Blue Line was on pretrial release for a felony gun charge, officials say.https://t.co/ciqOngTYjw
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) May 22, 2025
In its full report, CWBChicago said it “continues our coverage of individuals” on pretrial release who are “accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others,” in a series of reports the group started in 2019 “after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, ‘We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur’ under the court’s bond reform initiative.”
According to CWBChicago:
(Washington) is the 41st person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago during 2023 while on felony pretrial release. Those crimes involved 51 victims, 14 of whom died.
In short, known repeat felons are being routinely set free to continue their crime sprees while awaiting trial instead of being held in jail, the group argues.
Prosecutors said that at 6:45 a.m. on December 13, Washington approached the teenager, who authorities have not identified, displayed a gun, and warned, “Don’t move. This is a robbery.”
When the boy refused to cooperate, Washington allegedly fired multiple rounds and ran off as the boy collapsed on the platform. Bullets struck the teen in the left arm and left armpit.
At the time, Washington was on pretrial release for allegedly possessing a pistol during a traffic stop on April of 2023. He is also accused of robbing a 19-year-old victim in April of 2024, CWBChicago reported.
According to its well-populated website, CWBChicago was founded in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings.
The group regularly reports individual crimes, crime trends, and crime statistics on its website.
Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other novels and nonfiction crime titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
