Meagan Panici was waiting to turn left onto Clark Street from Foster Avenue when she allegedly was confronted by off-duty CTA employee Dwayne Preston. That's when Preston hit her with the bat, she said. He refused and continued to threaten her, she claimed, so she spit at him. With "adrenaline pumping," Panici said she opened the door again, got out, and told Preston to "back up." But he immediately shut the door on her foot, she said. Panici said she was scared and tried to open her door slightly to push Preston away. 23 in the 1500 block of West Foster Avenue, court records show.Īccording to Panici, she and Preston were stopped at a red light when Preston walked up to her car and began to berate her - before eventually jabbing her in her head with a baseball bat through an open car window. Preston, who has no prior criminal history, did not respond to requests for comment. "The alleged actions by this off-duty operator are absolutely not in keeping with CTA policies or procedures," Hosinski said. On Friday, Hosinski said Preston had "been taken out of service as we gather more information about this incident." On Thursday, Catherine Hosinski, a CTA spokeswoman, said that, in general, off-duty employees charged with crimes are supposed to notify their immediate supervisor. Only felony charges would stop an employee from getting paid while a case is pending, she said. He was released on his own recognizance pending trial. Preston was arrested after the incident in late February and charged with battery causing bodily harm, court records show. The man wore his CTA uniform during the attack, but was not on-duty at the time, CTA officials said Friday.Īfter Panici got out of her car during the confrontation, she said, the man swung the bat at her "Frank Thomas"-style, hitting her in her leg and leaving her doubled over in pain.Īn arrest report identified the man as 46-year-old Dwayne Preston, a CTA bus driver. Meagan Panici, 29, said she was waiting to turn left from Foster Avenue to Clark Street - one of Andersonville's busiest intersections - when she was approached by a man holding a bat who accused her of cutting him off blocks earlier. ANDERSONVILLE - An off-duty CTA employee who believed he'd been cut off by another driver attacked the woman with a metal baseball bat as she waited for a red light, according to court records and the victim.
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