COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — An Englewood man choked a woman before shooting two people on a crowded Lakeview party bus over the weekend, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Victor Haynes, 31, is charged with aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
According to prosecutors, Haynes was one of roughly 20 guests who spent late Saturday and early Sunday cruising the North Side in a party bus to celebrate a woman's birthday.
At one point, prosecutors said, Haynes got into an argument with another passenger. The woman celebrating her birthday was able to break up the fight, according to Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto, who spoke at a bond hearing Tuesday.
When Haynes got into a second argument, the woman once again tried to intervene, prosecutors said. That's when Haynes reportedly hit the woman in her face and began to choke her.
As several guests tried to help the woman, Haynes pulled a gun and began shooting, prosecutors said.
A 22-year-old man who was shot in his neck remains "unconscious but stable" at a local hospital, Scaduto said. The bullet fragmented in the man's body, sending pieces into his chest and lungs. The man suffered a stroke, Scaduto said, and doctors are unsure about how much "functionality" the victim will have once he regains consciousness.
A 33-year-old man was shot in his chest, where a bullet remains lodged, Scaduto said. This victim was able to identify Haynes as the shooter.
Haynes ran from the bus, but was arrested about 2:15 a.m. Sunday in the 3500 block of North Lake Shore Drive, according to an arrest report.
Prosecutors said Haynes, of the 400 block of West 65th Place, was previously convicted in a drug case. He has a pending misdemeanor case for reckless conduct.
Cook County Judge James Brown on Tuesday ordered Haynes held in lieu of $900,000 bail.
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