Evanston police said they found a loaded gun in a teen’s waistband when the car he was riding in was pulled over for speeding.
Mitchell G. Rivera, 18, of the 1900 block of Emerson Street in Evanston, has been ordered held in Cook County Jail on $50,000 bond on felony charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s department.
Evanston police said that around 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, an officer pulled over a vehicle in the 400 block Asbury Avenue for speeding. The officer said he noticed the smell of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle as he approached the car, according to an Evanston Police Department news release.
The rear seat passenger, now identified as Rivera, was asked by police to get out of the vehicle, according to the release. And when Rivera stepped out, the release states, police found a loaded Charter Arms .38 caliber revolver in his waistband.
A search of the vehicle also revealed a “small amount” of marijuana that was in a cigarette box and an unloaded Kahr .40 caliber handgun – which police said was found in the trunk, according to the release.
The driver, who was a 32-year-old man from Niles, a 17-year-old Skokie boy who was the front seat passenger, along with Rivera, were all taken to the Evanston police station, the release states.
In addition to the felony gun charge, Rivera was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, according to the release.
The driver of the vehicle was released after receiving traffic citations. The Skokie boy was released to a parent without being charged, police said in the release.
Detectives are set to follow up on the possession and ownership of the gun found in the trunk of the vehicle, according to the release.
Rivera is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 20, according to the sheriff’s department.
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Kyra Senese is a freelancer.