A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)
A four-time convicted felon has been arrested and held without bail after he allegedly shot a CTA bus driver in the jaw after the driver asked the man to exit the bus at the end of its downtown route over the weekend.
Dennis Green, 38, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery of a transit employee, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number and one count of armed habitual criminal stemming from the Saturday shooting.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. ordered Green held without bail during a hearing Tuesday, citing the “very outrageous” details of the incident as alleged by Cook County prosecutors.
Green was riding on a CTA bus just before 9 p.m. in the 0-100 block of East Washington Street, where that particular bus route came to an end, according to prosecutors. The driver, a 34-year-old male, told Green he had to exit the bus, but Green allegedly became upset and began yelling before spitting in the driver’s face.
Both men exited the bus, and a physical altercation ensued as the driver attempted to escort Green to a parked Chicago police squad car nearby. During that struggle, Green allegedly pulled out a gun and fired a single shot, striking the driver in the jaw.
Green then fled the area on foot, prosecutors said, but a witness told police which way he had gone and he was arrested nearby minutes later. As he was arrested, a loaded 9 mm handgun with a defaced serial number fell from his jacket, according to prosecutors.
The driver survived and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound that fractured his jaw. Prosecutors said he is scheduled to have multiple surgeries in the coming days.
During a bond hearing Tuesday, prosecutors detailed Green’s criminal history, which included convictions for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, attempted burglary, aggravated robbery and possession of a controlled substance.
Green is due back in court for a hearing on Sept. 15.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
