A 26-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly pointing a Ruger 9mm handgun with a laser sight at a plane that was flying over Evanston’s Clark Street Beach.
Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew says the the pilot of a United Airlines maintenance flight reported to the FAA about 2 a.m. Saturday that the laser was shining into his cockpit. He was able to establish that the light was coming from the beach.
Evanston and Northwestern University Police responded to the beach and as they arrived the man allegedly pointed the laser sight mounted on his loaded handgun at a female NUPD officer responding to the call.
Glew says the man, Akele Spencer of the 11800 block of South Campbell in Chicago, apparently had a concealed carry permit.
But he was charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for having it on the beach, which is posted as an area where guns are prohibited. He also faces two misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges for use of the laser pointer.