CHICAGO — A Chicago man who pulled out a gun after another car struck his Uber driver’s vehicle on Lake Shore Drive wound up being shot by his own firearm, prosecutors said Friday as they charged him with illegal gun possession.
Mark Lewis, 44, was still hospitalized for treatment of gunshot wounds as Judge Kelly McCarthy set bail at $100,000. He must post 10% of the amount to be released from custody.
Another driver rear-ended Lewis’ Uber in the 6500 block of South Lake Shore Drive around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. As his driver exchanged phone numbers with the other driver, Lewis sat on a guardrail and heckled the second driver about his injuries, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Dale-Schmidt said.
As the Uber driver called 911 to report the escalating confrontation, Lewis allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband.
Lewis and the other driver wound up on the ground during a “tussle” for control of the weapon, according to Dale-Schmidt. She said Lewis dropped the gun as both men stood up, and the second driver gained control of the firearm. The driver then squeezed off about four shots, striking Lewis in the buttocks and left hand.
Dale-Schmidt said the other driver later told police that he shot Lewis because he feared for his life. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Lewis’ background includes a state conviction for manufacture-delivery of cocaine in 2000 and a federal cocaine conviction in 2009, according to Dale-Schmidt.
He is now charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a previous conviction.