Chicago — A six-time convicted felon is facing new charges after allegedly boarding a CTA bus with a long gun on Friday evening.
Chicago police responded to a call of a person boarding a bus with a long gun around 9:30 p.m. They pulled the bus over in the 3200 block of West Chicago and found a passenger who matched the description of the man who allegedly had a weapon, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Bagnowski said.
The cops started talking with Jose Mora, 42, and realized he was carrying a blue bag that appeared to contain a rifle. In fact, Bagnowski said, the bag held a Mossberg International firearm with a 6-inch barrel. A loaded extended ammunition magazine was also in the bag, according to police.
Mora’s felony background includes two convictions for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon — one in 2004 and the other in 2013. He’s again charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, but Bagnowski said prosecutors might upgrade the charge to Class X armed habitual criminal based on Mora’s background.
An assistant public defender said Mora has been married for 19 years and has four children. He works full-time as a restaurant prep cook, the lawyer said.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered Mora to pay a $15,000 bail deposit to go home.
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