16-Year-Old Chicago Boy Arrested With Handgun: Police

EVANSTON, IL — A juvenile Chicago resident was arrested Thursday night just south of the Evanston border and charged with gun crimes after officers on patrol were flagged down and alerted someone had been firing a gun nearby, police said.

Around 7:43 p.m., detectives from the Neighborhood Enforcement Team were approached by a woman who told them someone in a vehicle had been firing a handgun on Birchwood Avenue, just east of Ridge Road in Chicago, according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Evanston — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The detectives headed over to investigate and noticed someone fleeing westbound on Birchwood from Hoyne Avenue carrying a nickel-plated handgun, police said. Detectives immediately got out of their vehicle and were able to take the boy into custody without incident.

Police said they recovered a loaded Colt .380 handgun from the boy, who was identified as a 16-year-old Chicago resident. He was subsequently charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and transported to a county juvenile detention center.

Due to the age of the accused teen, no further information was released.

Top photo: A handgun police say they found on a 16-year-old Chicago boy Thursday | Evanston PD