2 Guns With Extended Magazines Found In Separate Evanston Arrests

EVANSTON, IL — Two days before police held their third gun buyback event, which brought in 32 guns last Saturday, cops picked up two Evanston men carrying semiautomatic handguns with extended-capacity magazines in separate incidents. Had they waited a couple days and turned the guns in to police, the two men would have avoided criminal charges and be $200 richer. In addition to firearm-related offenses, cops charged both men with resisting or trying to escape police.

In the first incident, investigators with the neighborhood enforcement team who had received unspecified "narcotics information" showed up in the west alley of the 2000 block of Wesley Avenue, according to a release. Police found a man inside a white Lexus who appeared to be trying to hide something.

Police said the man did not cooperate and was combative, so officers shocked him with a taser and took him into custody. They searched the car and found a loaded 9 mm handgun under a towel in the front seat.

Ronald E. Louden, 40, of the 1500 block of Emerson Street in Evanston, was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon by an armed habitual criminal, battery, resisting arrest, possession of cannabis, drug paraphernalia and two counts of possession of a handgun or ammunition without a firearm owners identification card.

In the second incident, a detective from the criminal investigations unit pulled over a car at 6:25 p.m. on June 7 in the 1800 block of Dodge Avenue for an unspecified reason.

The officer searched the car and found a loaded .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine. The driver was arrested and handcuffed, but he later took off running on foot. Police said after a brief foot chase he was placed back into custody without incident.

Tavarious A. Wood, 27, of the 2400 block of Emerson Street in Evanston, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, unlawful use of a weapon, felony escape, felony possession of ammunition with no identification card and misdemeanor possession of a handgun with no identification card.

The Evanston police gun buyback program is ongoing for residents. Police asked anyone interested to call 311 in order to arrange a time for an officer to come pick up operational an unwanted firearms, which will reduce the risk of a weapon falling into the wrong hands.

Read more: 32 Firearms Turned In At Evanston Gun Buyback »

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