Man Tosses Gun While Fleeing Police: Blotter

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25

Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm with a Defaced Serial Number

Patrick Williams, 24, of the 900 block of White Oak Lane, University Park, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession with a firearm without a FOID card, possession of ammunition without a FOID card, driving with a suspended license and driving without registration after a Feb. 25 traffic stop, according to Homewood police reports.

Police pulled over Williams at about 1 a.m., near the intersection of South Halsted Street and West 187th Street, the report stated. A search of the car uncovered a Springfield Amory XD .45-caliber pistol sticking out from under the front passenger seat “in easy reach of the driver,” the report stated.

In custody at the station, a plastic baggie containing 14 smaller, multi-colored bags was inventoried as part of Williams’s property, the report stated. The smaller bags contained a total of 2.5 grams of an off-white, rock-like substance that field tested for cocaine, the report added.

TUESDAY, FEB. 24

Unlawful Use of Weapon, Resisting Police

Xavier Harding, 19, of the 15600 block of Ingleside Avenue, Dolton, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, and resisting a police officer after a Feb. 24 traffic stop in the 18300 block of Dixie Highway, according to Homewood police reports.

Police stopped the car Harding was riding in at about 4:58 p.m., after the officer noticed the driver was not wearing a seat belt, the report stated. During the stop, Harding got out of the car and fled the scene on foot, the report added.

The officer chased after Harding, who pulled a black semiautomatic handgun from his jacket pocket and threw it into the backyard of a home in the 1830 block of Martin Avenue, the report stated. After Harding was caught, the gun was identified as a black, Springfield Armory XD-40 semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen from Jackson County in Indiana, the report added.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.