Man Arrested With Loaded Gun, Drugs

Brandon M. Lee, 23, of the 1800 block of Brown Street, Evanston, was charged with Unlawful Use of Weapons, a Class 4 felony, Possession of Controlled Subsstances, a Class 3 felony, and possession of cannabis.

Police responded to a report of two men fighting, which came in Oct. 7 at 12:03 p.m. The female caller said one of the men had a silver and black handgun in his waistband, an that a tan Ford four-door vehicle had left the scene, according to the report.

A responding officer saw the vehicle at Washington Street and Wilson Terrace in Morton Grove, and the vehicle stopped even before the officer turned on his emergency lights.  

More Niles and Morton Grove police arrived and they ordered the occupants out of the car and handcuffed them, with the exception of a 12-year-old girl in the rear seat. 

As police patted down Lee, they discovered three plastic bags, two of suspect marijuana and the other of suspect crack cocaine, in his shirt, according to the report. In his inner jacket pocket, they found a loaded gun, which was a Taurus PT 24/7 Pro .40 cal 2-tone semi-automatic handgun. Police secured the weapon.

The other passengers were brought to the Niles Police Department for investigation, but not charged. They included the driver of the vehicle, a 43-year-old Des Plaines woman, a 25-year-old Des Plaines man and the 12-year-old. Police also brought to the station a 22-year-old Niles man who lives on Lyons Street and was involved in the incident, the report indicated.

Police said they learned the woman who called in the incident, a 22-year-old Skokie woman who has a child in common with the 22-year-old man who lives on Lyons Street in Niles, had in a verbal argument with the 22-year-old father of her child, from Niles, while all of the subjects were together. During the argument, she threw a play station controller at him, which police said made him a potential victim. The woman then left the scene and called 911. Meanwhile, the 43-year-old woman was trying to drive the other occupants home when police stopped her, according to the report. 

The complainant's original report about two men fighting appeared to be false, police said. She did not answer a call back from police, who did not locate her.  

The arresting officer contacted Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Vyas, who approved felony charges. Lee's court date is Oct. 29 at the Cook County courthouse in Skokie. 

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