Chicago police arrested Tesfaye Cooper, 30, on April 8 in connection with an alleged assault and robbery near the Clark-Lake CTA station in downtown Chicago.
According to prosecutors and court filings, Cooper and a second man, Mazi Pearson, 33, are accused of chasing a 48-year-old cyclist after he passed them and waved. The filing states the two men followed the cyclist into the CTA station, continued the pursuit through the fare area, and cornered him in the mezzanine near an elevator.
Prosecutors allege that once the victim was cornered, Pearson struck him in the shoulder, while Cooper attempted to hit him with a closed fist and spat in his face. The court records also state that Pearson threw the victim’s bicycle over a turnstile, and both men then left the station with the bike. A CTA security guard reportedly witnessed the incident.
🇺🇸 This absolute monster named Tesfaye Cooper, the same thug who tortured a disabled teenager on Facebook Live, is back on the streets.
The twist?? He just got arrested again… okay, who am I kidding? Of course he was.
He chased down a cyclist who simply waved at him, beat… pic.twitter.com/GovZtsrgLe
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 16, 2026
Authorities say both suspects claimed affiliation with the Gangster Disciples during the encounter. Cooper has been charged in connection with the incident and is currently facing legal proceedings.
Cooper was previously convicted in connection with a widely publicized 2017 case in Chicago involving the kidnapping and assault of a mentally disabled teenager that was livestreamed on Facebook. That case resulted in hate crime-related convictions for multiple defendants. Cooper served a prison sentence and was released after several years.
The most recent allegations remain under investigation, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.