Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Darius Moss is no stranger to police in Chicago. Since 2014 Moss has been arrested an incredible 32 times since 2014; a rap sheet that has also resulted in at least four felony convictions during that same time period.
Moss’s latest arrest came on Friday afternoon, after authorities say he robbed a man at gunpoint on a Green Line train. Since Chicago bans firearms from all CTA premises, Moss may have (rightfully) believed that the odds of his victim also being armed were pretty slim, but the repeat offender ended up winning the armed citizen lottery by picking an off-duty security guard who had a gun of his own as his intended target.
According to police, at around 5 p.m. Friday, Moss approached a 25-year-old man on a CTA Green Line train near the Laramie Station and tried to rob the younger man. That second individual, who has a CCL and valid Firearms Owner’s Identification Card, produced his gun and shot Moss, authorities said.
The victim, the man who fired shots, wasn’t hurt during the incident.
Moss, on the other hand, was shot in the leg by the armed citizen, and was taken into custody a short time later.
At a bond hearing on Sunday, prosecutors provided more details about the robbery, as well as the armed citizen who fought back.
Officials said a 25-year-old bank security guard was riding the train home shortly before 5 p.m. when Moss boarded his train car and started staring at him while smoking.
The men started arguing until Moss “upped a firearm” and announced a robbery, prosecutor Christopher Cromydas said. Holding the victim at gunpoint, Moss allegedly took the man’s keys, phone, credit card, and, notably, his concealed carry license.
Moss threatened to shoot the victim 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 on the platform, reentered the train, and launched into a “firefight” with Moss, Cromydas continued.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Judge Ahmad interjected. “A firefight on the train?”
“Yes, your honor,” Cromydas confirmed, explaining that the gunfight took place on the train and the platform.
The guard expended 18 rounds, four of which jammed, during the incident, he said. 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 police and explained what happened.
Chicago cops found Moss walking in the area of the Cicero station and recovered the victim’s property from his possession, along with a revolver that contained four live bullets and a spent casing, Cromydas said.
I have to say that I’m kind of surprised we haven’t heard about any charges being filed against the armed citizen, given that prosecutors say he exited the train and then returned to the car with his gun drawn rather than simply fleeing the scene. Given that Moss was armed with a gun, however, it seems to me that the off-duty security guard had a duty to protect others from the armed suspect, and perhaps even the Cook County State’s Attorney sees it that way.
The 25-year old also won’t be facing charges for bringing his concealed firearm onto the train. While Chicago Transit Authority rules bar most concealed carry holders from bringing their lawfully-carried gun on board a train or bus, there’s an exemption for “security personnel” who are commuting to and from their place of employment. There’s also a lawsuit taking on that particular “gun-free zone”, and cases like this only prove the point that the city’s armed criminals don’t have a problem violating that policy. It’s Chicago’s legal gun owners and concealed carry holders who are put at risk by the city’s demands that all mass transit riders be disarmed, while guys like Moss are emboldened; not just because the city has helpfully created so many victim disarmament zones, but because when criminals are caught and charged they’re all too often given a slap on the wrist instead of serious consequences for their crimes.