Evanston Cops Find Guns During 2 Stops Tuesday

Police in Evanston recovered two handguns in separate incidents Tuesday.

Just before 5 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle in the 400 block of Dewey Avenue after noticing the driver - Marquise C. Duerr-Starling, 25, of the 800 block of Florence in Evanston - had not been wearing a seat belt and found a loaded 9mm Tanfoglio handgun underneath the front seat. Police also found a clear plastic bagging containing approximately three grams of suspected marijuana.

Duerr-Starling was charged with one count of armed habitual criminal, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm/ammunition with no valid firearm owner’s identification card, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of unlawful possession of cannabis and was given two traffic citations.

Just before midnight, detectives from the Evanston Police Department’s tactical unit spotted a parked vehicle in the 1900 block of Brummel Street and recovered a 9mm Beretta handgun from the glove compartment and a 9mm magazine in a compartment near the steering wheel upon a search. The Firearm Owners Identification status of the driver - Branden L. Johnson, 24, of the 800 block of Judson in Evanston, had been revoked.

Johnson was charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of possession of a firearm/ammunition with no valid firearm owner’s identification card.

In both incidents, police detected an odor of burnt cannabis prior to searching the vehicles.