Chicago Woman Avoids Jail Time for Pushing Taylor Swift Fan onto Subway Tracks
Neveah King, already credited with over three years served, pleads guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a reduced sentence.
A Chicago woman accused of pushing a Taylor Swift fan onto subway tracks will not serve additional jail time after accepting a plea deal on Monday. Neveah King, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery of a transit passenger, a downgrade from the initial attempted murder charge.
King was sentenced to 54 months in prison, which will be reduced to 27 months under Illinois law. Due to the 1,185 days she has already spent in custody since her arrest in July 2023, the sentence is considered satisfied, meaning she is not expected to face further incarceration.
The incident occurred on June 4, 2023, at Chicago's Division Blue Line station. The victim, a 24-year-old Swift fan, was on her way to a concert at Soldier Field with friends when King allegedly shoved her onto the tracks. Surveillance footage reportedly showed King running down the station stairs and pushing the unsuspecting woman.
In a stroke of luck, the victim landed on her feet and managed to scramble to safety. Seconds later, a Blue Line train entered the station.
After the push, King allegedly fled the station and pushed another woman to the ground. Chicago police apprehended King approximately 30 minutes later at the Jackson Red Line station. She was subsequently held at the Cook County Jail.
The victim did not immediately file a police report, waiting until the following day to avoid disrupting her concert plans. Investigators identified King as the suspect through photo lineups conducted with the victim and witnesses about two weeks after the incident. King was taken into custody about two weeks after that identification process.
The plea deal resolves the case stemming from the June 2023 attack, bringing an end to the legal proceedings that have kept King in custody for over three years.
