CTA driver escapes hijacked bus through window after gunman flees on foot
A 36-year-old convicted felon was charged with armed kidnapping and other felonies after forcing a driver to operate a bus through red lights on South Pulaski Road.
By Leila Mansour ·
A CTA bus driver jumped out of a window to escape a passenger who allegedly held her at gunpoint on Tuesday evening. Chicago police said the incident occurred around 8:24 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Pulaski Road.
Officers reported that a man on the bus pulled out a firearm and pointed it toward both the front and rear of the vehicle. Other passengers were inside when the suspect forced the driver to keep moving. Police stated that the driver was compelled to drive through red lights while under threat.
The 35-year-old driver stopped the bus upon reaching South Pulaski Road. Fearing further attack, she exited through a window. Surveillance video captured the moment of her escape. No injuries were reported among the passengers or the driver.
The suspect left the bus and entered an unoccupied vehicle that remained running. Officers located him and ordered him to drop the gun and exit the car. As police moved to take him into custody, he reversed the vehicle into a marked police car. He was eventually detained, and officers recovered a firearm.
Police identified the suspect as Quentin Lewis, 36, a convicted felon. He faced four felony charges: kidnapping while armed with a firearm, receiving, possessing, or selling a stolen vehicle, aggravated unlawful restraint, and possession of a weapon by a felon. Lewis appeared in court on November 5 for a detention hearing where he was ordered detained. He is scheduled to return to court on November 10.
Chicago police provided the details of the incident and the charges filed against Lewis. The recovered firearm was processed by the department. The bus and the suspect's vehicle were involved in the collision with the marked unit.
