Prosecutors say a man who threw a gun out of his car window after an alleged road rage incident in the Loop almost got away with it — until he circled around the block and asked cops to give him his gun back.
Police responded to a call of a person with a gun in a car downtown around 4 p.m. Sunday and spotted a silver Ford Focus that matched the one described in a 911 call, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Franka D’Antignac.
The caller said the man pointed a handgun at them during a road rage incident moments earlier, according to D’Antignac.
Cops pulled the car over in the 100 block of North State and spoke with its driver, 36-year-old Charles Owens. They didn’t find a gun in the car, so they sent Owens on his way.
A few moments later, cops found a loaded handgun on the street nearby. As officers recovered the gun, Owens pulled back around, got out, and told the cops that the gun belonged to him, D’Antignac said.
Investigators located CPD surveillance camera footage that shows Owens throwing the gun out of his car, she alleged.
D’Antignac said Owens, who works as a security guard supervisor, doesn’t have a concealed carry license. His Firearm Owner’s ID card, which is required for Illinois gun owners, expired in August, she said.
Owens has never been arrested before, according to his defense attorney. He is charged with unlawful use of a weapon.
Judge John Lyke set his bail at $3,000. Owens went home by posting a $300 bond.