Man Fires Machine Gun In Villa Park: Cops

VILLA PARK, IL – A Maywood man who was preparing to sell drugs earlier this week in Villa Park fired a machine gun as he approached a potential buyer, prosecutors said.

Curtis Lyons, 37, was arrested after the incident, which occurred about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

Police said they learned that Lyons has been about to sell drugs to an acquaintance near Chatham Avenue and Plymouth Street.

When he approached, he opened fire more than 30 times on his 9mm Glock 19, which had been altered with a switch to let it fire as a fully automatic weapon, prosecutors said.

Some of the rounds struck a nearby house, police said. Lyons fled.

Villa Park officers were able to find Lyons in a house on Cornell Avenue. After executing a search warrant, they discovered a 9mm Glock 19 with a fully automatic switch, a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm, a 50-round drum magazine containing eight rounds and about $7,000 in cash, police said.

“It is alleged that Mr. Lyons put an entire neighborhood at risk when he fired more than 30 shots in a matter of seconds,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "This type of violent, criminal conduct, as alleged against Mr. Lyons, will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be met with the full force and effect of the law. Thankfully, no innocent bystanders or anyone in the residence were injured as a result of this alleged behavior."

Lyons was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of being an armed habitual criminal, all felonies.

DuPage County Judge Celine O'Hallaren Walsh granted prosecutors' request to deny bond.