CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbing a concealed carry holder aboard a Green Line train and then engaging in a gunfight with the victim.
Darius Moss, 34, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of armed robbery without a firearm before Judge Alfredo Maldonado in exchange for the sentence. It’s a good deal for Moss. Had he been convicted of armed robbery with a firearm, he would have received an additional 15-year sentencing enhancement.
Arrested 32 times by Chicago police since 2014, Moss boarded a Green Line train around 5 p.m. on January 20 and started smoking near a 25-year-old bank security guard who was riding the train home, officials said.
The men started arguing until Moss “upped a firearm” and announced a robbery, prosecutor Christopher Cromydas said during Moss’ initial bail hearing. Holding the victim at gunpoint, Moss allegedly took the man’s keys, phone, credit card, and, notably, his concealed carry license.
Then he threatened to shoot the security guard if he did not exit at the next stop, which was Cicero, according to Cromydas.
After stepping off the train, the guard pulled out his own firearm. He then re-entered the train and launched into a “firefight” with Moss, Cromydas continued.
The guard expended 18 rounds, four of which jammed, during the incident. Chicago police said Moss was shot once in the leg, but the victim was not injured.
Moss left the Cicero station while the victim continued riding to Laramie, where he identified himself to the police and explained what happened.
Chicago cops found Moss walking in the area of the Cicero station and recovered the victim’s property from him, along with a revolver that contained four live bullets and a spent casing, Cromydas said.
“This is abject insanity” Judge Maryam Ahmad opined after hearing the allegations. “Abject insanity.”
Moss has been convicted of four felonies since 2014, including robbery and theft in 2018. We’ve reported about two of those cases.
In August 2018, prosecutors charged him with robbery after he allegedly threatened to shoot a TJ Maxx security guard who tried to stop him from stealing $111 worth of merchandise in the Loop.
While he was on parole for the robbery case, Moss was accused of stealing an entire cash register from Dunkin’, 39 West Jackson, and carrying the whole machine onto a Red Line train.
Moss’ ten-year sentence will be cut in half for good behavior. Another 264 days will be offset by credits he earned in jail. The Illinois Department of Corrections expects him to be paroled on December 17, 2027.
