Gun, Illegal Weed Found After Driver Flees Traffic Stop: Plainfield PD

PLAINFIELD, IL — A Chicago man arrested after a traffic stop in Plainfield was found to be unlawfully carrying a loaded gun and illegally purchased cannabis, according to police.

Police pulled over a red Honda Civic around 7:56 p.m. Sept. 3 for a traffic offense near Renwick Road and Route 30. Cops found the front seat passenger, later identified as 21-year-old Anthony McNulty, was not wearing a seatbelt, while the driver, a 22-year-old woman, was driving with a suspended license. A 1-year-old baby was buckled in the back seat, officials said.

The responding officer "observed a strong odor of cannabis emitting from the vehicle" before both occupants admitted to carrying weed bought from another person, not a dispensary, according to Commander Anthony Novak.

While conducting a search of the car, the officer also found a loaded Glock 19 underneath the front passenger seat, where McNulty was sitting. Officials said the semi-automatic firearm had the capability of being converted into a fully automatic one.

The woman was cited for driving with a suspended license and released. Police said when the officer told McNulty he was under arrest, he fled on foot, leading to a brief pursuit before an officer found him hiding in the backyard of a nearby residence, Novak told Patch.

The man was brought to the Plainfield Police Department for processing on multiple charges: Possession of an automatic weapon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a firearm when Firearm Owners Identification card revoked, endangering the life of a child, failure to wear a seatbelt and possession of cannabis, the former three charges felonies and the latter three misdemeanors.

McNulty, of the 1500 block of North Lotus Avenue in Chicago, is currently being held at the Will County jail. His next court date for arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 18.