Three adults and two juveniles are facing a variety of charges after Chicago police allegedly discovered a cache of guns, armor-piercing bullets, marijuana, and cash during a traffic stop investigation that began in Lincoln Park.
Prosecutors said officers stopped a transport van in the 2600 block of North Clark around 8 p.m. Tuesday because it lacked a rear license plate.
The van’s owner, Delontea Randle-Trice, gave police permission to search the van, Assistant State’s Attorney Tilesha Jackson said.
On the front passenger floorboard, cops found an unzipped shoulder bag that contained a loaded 9-millimeter ghost gun, another loaded magazine, and an unloaded magazine, Jackson alleged. There were also two bags of green-tipped ammunition that matched three similar rounds that were found in the front passenger’s pocket, Jackson continued.
Shomari Randle-Trice, who was allegedly the front seat passenger, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon and possession of armor-piercing bullets, both felonies.
According to Jackson, police discovered three more guns in the van, including one with an automatic-fire switch and extended ammunition magazines. A 17-year-old boy is charged with three felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon and felony unlawful use of a machine gun, a CPD spokesperson said.
Cops took eight people from the van into the station for questioning, according to a tweet by CPD spokesperson Tom Ahern.
At the station, one of the passengers told police that Delontea Randle-Trice had a rifle and cannabis in his downtown hotel room, Jackson said. Police went to the Langham Chicago Hotel, 330 North Wabash, and encountered a man in the lobby with high-end luggage and several suitcases, officials said.
According to Jackson, the cops asked the man if he knew Delontea, and the man said they were brothers.
Police recovered an AM-15 short-barreled rifle loaded with armor-piercing bullets from one of the bags, Jackson said. They also allegedly found more than a pound of suspected cannabis.
Delontea Randle-Trice, 22, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of armor-piercing bullets, and unlawful possession of cannabis.
His private attorney, Robert Ingles, said he has no adult background and has used a wheelchair since being shot seven years ago. He denies all of the allegations, Ingles said.
A 15-year-old girl in the van is charged with misdemeanor possession of ammunition, and Demarion Watson, 18, is charged with misdemeanor possession of cannabis, according to CPD.
Judge Maryam Ahmad set bail for Delontea Randle-Trice at $50,000 with electronic monitoring. He must post 10% of the bail amount to go home.
Shomari Randle-Trice must post a $2,000 bail deposit, she said.
