CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to four years for illegal gun possession and another four years for trying to flush a second gun that cops didn’t know about down the toilet of his Chicago Police Department holding cell.
Tavarus Walker, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle with a previous conviction in exchange for the sentences from Judge William Hooks, according to court records.
But it could have been a lot worse. Prosecutors dropped the two most serious charges Walker faced: Class X possession of a firearm inside a penal institution and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Chicago cops arrested Walker on November 14, 2021, for allegedly possessing a firearm in the 6900 block of South Campbell. Prosecutors charged him with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon with a prior conviction, and he paid a $1,000 bail deposit to get out of jail.
Meanwhile, back at the Chicago Lawn (8th) District police station, a CPD employee found a handgun lodged in a holding cell toilet bowl. Curious about the presence of a gun in their toilet bowl, cops reviewed surveillance video footage from the cell.
Prosecutors said the video showed Walker removing a second gun that cops didn’t know about from his waistband and putting it into the toilet. Walker tried to flush the firearm down the toilet, but it didn’t go anywhere. So, he covered the submerged gun with toilet paper and left it there, officials said.
Police arrested Walker again on December 27, 2021, to face charges of bringing a firearm into a penal institution.
Walker’s sentences, to be served consecutively, will be reduced by 50% for good behavior and by an additional 444 days of credit earned before sentencing. He is scheduled to be released on January 31, 2025.