Evanston police today announced the arrest of three men found with handguns in separate incidents this week.
Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew says that about 12:25 a.m. this morning a traffic sergeant was on patrol in the 300 block of Sheridan Road for the July 4th Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Traffic Initiative when he saw a blue Suzuki Vitara speeding north on Sheridan.
He stopped the car and made contact with the driver, Malik Brewer.
Malik Brewer (EPD photo)
Glew says that during the interview Brewer admitted that he was in possession of handgun. A loaded Phoenix Arms 22 caliber gun contained a Louis Vuitton bag was recovered from inside the car.
The Phoenix Arms 22 caliber gun police say they found in Brewer’s bag. (EPD photo)
Brewer, of the 7500 block of North Sheridan Road in Chicago, was arrested for possession of the handgun. Brewer did not have a FOID card or Concealed Carry Permit. Due to Brewer’s criminal history, he was charged as an armed habitual criminal.
About 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Glew says, tactical detectives were in the 2100 block of Wesley Avenue when they spotted Jeilin Harris-Thomas, who was wanted in connection with a home invasion in Skokie.
Jeilin Harris-Thomas. (EPD photo)
He got into a car as the passenger of an Uber driver. When detectives saw the driver fail to use a turn signal, they stopped the car in the 1400 block of Noyes Street.
Glew says officers noticed an odor of cannabis coming from the car. When they searched it, he says, they recovered a loaded Taurus 45 caliber handgun, ammunition and about two grams of cannabis.
The Taurus 45 caliber handgun police say they recovered from the car in which Harris-Thomas was riding.
The handgun, Glew says, was found in a bag that the detectives had seen Harris-Thomas carry into the car.
Thomas, 19, of the 1400 block of Brown Avenue, was charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and two misdemeanor counts for not having a firearm owners identification card or a concealed carry license.
The Uber driver denied knowledge of the gun and was cited for failure to signal when required.
On Monday at 7:28 p.m. in the 2000 block of Main Street, Glew says, an officer stopped a white Jeep for having an expired registration sticker.
After detecting an odor of cannabis coming from inside the car, the officer and his backup had the driver, Enrique Mora Morales, get out of the car. While being interviewed by the officers, Glew says, Mora Morales admitted to having a handgun in his waistband.
Enrique Mora Morales (EPD photo)
He was arrested and officers recovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun. A search of the car, Glew says, also turned up 35.5 grams of cannabis, a burnt cannabis cigar weighing half a gram and three 1000 mg tubes of THC oil.
The Taurus 9mm handgun police say Mora Morales was carrying. (EPD photo)
Mora Morales, of the 1100 block of Dewey Avenue, been charged with two felonies — unlawful use of a weapon and possesion of cannabis with intent to deliver. He’s also facing misdemeanor charges for lacking a firearm owners identification card or a concealed carry license and for driving on a suspended license.