A 23-year-old woman accused of intentionally shoving a Taylor Swift concertgoer onto Chicago train tracks will not spend additional time in prison after reaching a plea agreement.
Neveah King, who had been held at Cook County Jail since her arrest in July 2023, pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated battery of a transit passenger. As part of the agreement, prosecutors reduced the attempted murder charge against her.
Judge Mary Anna Planey imposed a 54-month prison sentence, which is cut to 27 months under Illinois law.
King has already spent 1,185 days in custody awaiting trial, however, meaning her time served fulfills the sentence. She is not expected to remain behind bars.
The plea deal closes the attempted murder case arising from the June 4, 2023, attack at Chicago’s Division Blue Line station, where King allegedly pushed a 24-year-old Swift fan onto the tracks.
The woman had been traveling downtown with friends at about 3:40 p.m. on her way to Swift’s concert at Soldier Field when she was suddenly confronted on the platform.
Prosecutors said surveillance video captured King rushing down the station stairs, charging toward the unsuspecting concertgoer and sending her onto the tracks below.
Neveah King, accused of deliberately pushing a 24-year-old woman from a Chicago train platform, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in connection with the shocking 2023 attack.
The frightening encounter unfolded at about 3:40 p.m. on June 4, 2023, at Chicago’s Division Blue Line station. The victim was waiting with friends for a downtown train as she traveled to Soldier Field, where Swift was performing during her blockbuster Eras Tour.
King allegedly raced down the station stairs and pushed the 24-year-old onto the tracks. In a remarkable escape, the young concertgoer landed on her feet and managed to get to safety.
The woman’s landing may have saved her life. She quickly moved away from the tracks and reached safety without suffering injuries.
The danger became even clearer moments later, when a train’s arrival showed how narrowly she had avoided a potentially fatal outcome.
Officials said a Blue Line train entered the station “within seconds” of the woman escaping from the tracks, raising the possibility that the incident could have ended in tragedy.
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Prosecutors also alleged that King pushed another woman to the ground while fleeing the station, ending what they described as a violent outburst.
Chicago police arrived at the Division station and detained King about 30 minutes after the reported attack.
The victim did not report the incident immediately. Prosecutors said she waited until the next day, apparently because she did not want the attack to interfere with her plans to attend Swift’s concert.
By the time she contacted police, King had already been released.
Investigators continued pursuing the case, and roughly two weeks later the victim and other witnesses identified King during photographic lineups as the person they believed was responsible.
About two weeks after those identifications, officers encountered King again at the Jackson Red Line station, where Chicago police took her into custody.
The attack did not stop the victim from attending Swift’s concert that day; she waited until the following day to make a police report.
Despite originally facing attempted murder, King is not expected to spend another day in prison after being sentenced Monday to a term that has effectively been wiped out by the nearly three years she has already spent behind bars
She was subsequently held at the Cook County Jail, where she remained for more than three years while the attempted murder case worked its way through court.
King had originally faced a charge of attempted murder, but that charge was dismissed as part of Monday’s plea agreement.
Instead, she admitted guilt to aggravated battery of a transit passenger.
The sentence handed down by Planey means King receives credit for the more than three years she has already spent in custody.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Cook County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
