April 22--The CTA on Friday suspended an off-duty bus driver accused of striking a woman in the leg with a metal baseball bat in an Andersonville road-rage incident earlier this year.
Dwayne Preston, 46, was arrested Feb. 23 and charged with misdemeanor battery after he allegedly hit Meagan Panici, 29, in the left thigh, leaving a bruise, court documents said. Panici said Preston had accused her of cutting him off in traffic.
A CTA spokeswoman said the agency learned about the incident Thursday afternoon and after preliminary investigation Preston was taken "out of service."
"The alleged actions by this off-duty operator are absolutely not in keeping with CTA policies or procedures," spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said. Preston has been with the CTA for almost 10 years.
Panici told the Tribune that she had been waiting to turn left onto Clark Street from Foster Avenue in early evening Feb. 23 when Preston approached her on foot and began jabbing the bat through her open window. Preston was wearing a CTA uniform but had been driving his own car, Panici said.
"He kept saying, 'I should hit you, you (expletive). You almost hit me,'" said Panici, who did not recall cutting off anyone in traffic.
Panici said she was scared. She opened her car door to push him back but Preston pushed back, trapping her foot.
She got out of the car and spat at Preston. "That was stupid," Panici said.
She said Preston was enraged, took "a big swing" and caught her hard on the back of her thigh.
Panici said a westbound CTA bus stopped on Foster and another male bus driver got out, telling bystanders that Panici had spit at Preston. Panici said bystanders responded that Preston had hit her with a bat.
Preston was arrested a few blocks away. He was released on bond and has another court date May 2, court documents said.
Preston declined comment. A representative for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, the union of which the bus driver is a member, was not available for comment.
Chicago Tribune's Steve Schmadeke contributed.
mwisniewski@tribpub.com
