A man who got out of prison less than a month ago for illegal firearm possession is back in custody — charged with illegally possessing another firearm when he allegedly stole a woman’s car in Wrigleyville on Saturday morning.
A 41-year-old woman told police she left her car running while she made a delivery on the 3800 block of North Sheffield shortly after 7 a.m. She reported that a man who had a gun got into the vehicle and drove away.
The victim’s car crashed near Addison and Racine streets a few minutes later. Police officers who quickly accessed a CPD surveillance camera feed spotted a man running from the crashed vehicle and broadcast a description of the man to cops in the field.
Devin Williams, age 21, was taken into custody by officers who saw him walking near the intersection of Southport Avenue and Irving Park Road, a CPD spokesperson said. Officers reported seeing Williams throw a handgun over a fence during a brief foot chase that preceded his arrest. A gun and a separate ammunition magazine were recovered by police, but neither item was loaded, prosecutors said.
Williams is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Judge Arthur Willis set bail at $25,000. Willis also ordered him held without bail at the request of the Illinois Department of Corrections.
State records show Williams was released from Stateville Correctional Center on Mar. 27, where he was sent to serve a four-year prison term for a 2018 charge of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.