A Hammond man accused of fondling a sleeping South Shore passenger was one of five persons arrested over the weekend, NICTD Transit Police said.

According to police, on Thursday morning a female passenger en route to Chicago awoke to find Rashad Shabazz, 51, touching her inappropriately. Shabazz had boarded the South Shore train at East Chicago and the incident occurred in Illinois, police said. Shabazz was taken into custody by Metra Police and charged with simple battery, police said.

On Saturday morning, police said, David Wise, 34, of Gary, was arrested on charges of domestic battery and battery, after he battered a woman near the intersection of Lake Street and U.S. Highway 12 in Gary. Police said that the woman attempted to flee Wise by boarding a South Shore train, that Wise followed her, and that, when a conductor stopped Wise from entering the train, Wise assaulted the conductor too. Wise was taken into custody by Transit Police Officer Howard Morgan, while the woman was treated at a nearby hospital for injuries sustained during the battery, police said.

On Sunday, Shermaine Tillotson, 25, of East Chicago, was taken into custody on an active warrant issued through East Chicago and charging him with driving while suspended, following a traffic stop by Transit Police Officer Burt Sanders, police said.

On Sunday night, Jason Manning, 30, of Highland, was questioned by Transit Police officers “for using profanity and being rude to passengers” on board a South Shore train which had departed Millennium Station at 11:15 p.m., police said.

“Manning became irate toward police and told them that he was going to cause injury to himself by slamming his head into the ground and then claim that the officers beat him,” police said. “Manning held true to his threats and suddenly began to slam his forehead against a glass window and fall to the floor.”

Manning was charged with disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana and transported to the Chicago Police Department’s 4th District lock-up, police said.

Also on Sunday, Erin Mueller of Highland was issued a written citation for disorderly conduct “after she was found to be loud and disruptive while on board the train and disobeyed police orders to cease her behavior,” police said.

Posted 6/12/2012