CTA Bus Driver Allegedly Hit A Woman With A Bat In Road Rage Incident
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Apr 22, 2016 9:42PM
A CTA bus driver has been suspended from his CTA post after he was accused of hitting a woman in the leg with a baseball bat in Andersonville in February.
Dwayne Preston, 46, faces a misdemeanor battery charge related to an off-duty road rage incident on Feb. 23 this year, according to the Chicago Tribune. Court documents say that Preston hit Meagan Panici, 29, on her left thigh, leaving a bruise.
The incident, as told by Panici, sounds terrifying: she was waiting to make a left turn when Preston approached her car wearing his CTA uniform. He kept yelling and cursing at her, complaining that she had cut him off and threatening to hit her. Panici says she couldn't remember cutting anyone off and got scared. She opened her car door to push him away but her foot got stuck. Preston continued threatening her, then stuck his bat inside her car and jabbed her in the head, she told DNAinfo. She got out and spat at him, though she says now she regrets doing that.
Preston responded by taking a "big swing" that got her on the back of her thigh, she said. He was arrested a few blocks away.
The CTA only learned about the incident yesterday, and they suspended him after a preliminary investigation. A CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski told the Tribune, "The alleged actions by this off-duty operator are absolutely not in keeping with CTA policies or procedures."
Generally, drivers are supposed to let their supervisors know if they're charged with a crime, Hosinki told DNAInfo.
He's due in court May 2.