A Chicago man was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for shooting an on-duty CTA bus driver during an altercation in the Loop two years ago.
The 34-year-old driver asked Dennis Green, 40, to exit the bus when they reached the end of the line on the first block of East Washington around 8:58 p.m. on September 4, 2021, prosecutors said. Green allegedly responded by yelling at the driver and spitting in his face.
Police arrived, but the situation escalated as the driver tried to escort Green to a squad car, prosecutors said in the days following the shooting. As the altercation turned physical, Green pulled out a gun and shot the driver in the left jaw.
A witness reportedly kept an eye on Green as he ran from the area and removed some of his outer clothing. The witness directed cops to his location, and they took him into custody minutes after the shooting. Prosecutors said a loaded 9-millimeter handgun fell from Green’s jacket as police arrested him.
The bus driver suffered a fractured jaw and underwent surgery to repair his injuries.
On August 23, a jury found Green guilty of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm and aggravated battery of a transit employee. Judge Timothy Joyce sentenced him yesterday to 27 years for the firearm discharge and three consecutive years for the second count, according to clerk of court records.
Prosecutors dropped eight felonies before trial. The jury acquitted Green of attempted murder, armed habitual criminal, and a second count of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, the court records show.
Green is expected to appeal.
He has been sentenced to prison four other times, including eight years for aggravated robbery in 2001, five years for attempted burglary in 2005, and 42 months for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2009, according to court records.
