CHICAGO — A man who carried a sawed-off shotgun from Texas to Chicago to “create chaos” and “wreak havoc” on his ex-wife was intercepted at Union Station by Amtrak police officers who were tipped off by his mother, officials said Tuesday.
Judge Charles Beach ordered Brett Bowman, 37, to be detained as a public safety threat “to prevent fulfillment of [his] threat,” according to a court document.
Bowman’s mother informed Amtrak police that her son was on a train from Longview, Texas, to Chicago with a shotgun and plans to “take care of business,” prosecutors said. Amtrak officers arrested Bowman as soon as he stepped into the South Concourse at Union Station on Saturday afternoon.
Amtrak officers reported that Bowman admitted to having a shotgun in his bag when police confronted him in Chicago. They found a sawed-off Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and a box of ammunition in his luggage, according to court filings made on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege that Bowman does not have a license to own firearms in Illinois.
He is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possessing a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches long.
