CHICAGO — Three men have been detained to await trial after a Chicago police sergeant allegedly saw them all firing guns on a Northwest Side street after they crashed a stolen car into a cemetery fence last week.
One of the accused men, 20-year-old Guillermo Reyes, has another felony gun case pending involving a somewhat similar set of allegations. A judge set him free to await trial on the third day of Illinois’ new cashless bail system.
Around 12:30 a.m. on September 19, Chicago police officers saw a speeding, stolen Audi SUV run a red light and crash into another car in the 4400 block of North Long in Portage Park. As they ran up to the crash scene, the Audi’s driver, allegedly Reyes, opened the passenger door, exposing a black handgun in the door panel, according to a CPD arrest report.
Officers arrested Reyes, who, although unemployed, was carrying $3,266 in cash, the report said.
The gun had an extended magazine and a switch to make the weapon generate automatic gunfire, while the Audi, stolen from Naperville, had license plates that belonged to a Volkswagen, according to the report.
Prosecutors charged Reyes with unlawful use of a weapon, possessing a stolen motor vehicle, possession of 27 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and possessing 11 alprazolam pills.
Judge Mary Marubio released Reyes on September 20, the third day of the state’s new “no cash bail” system.
Barely five weeks later, on October 26, a Chicago police sergeant patrolling near the 3600 block of West Foster saw a speeding, stolen Infiniti SUV zoom past him and crash into a fence at Bohemian National Cemetery.
Three armed men jumped out of the wreckage as the sergeant popped a U-turn to check on them. All three men began shooting toward the south as the sergeant took cover behind his squad car, officials said. He watched as the trio tossed their guns over the cemetery fence and ran away.
Chicago cops found Reyes lying on the ground behind a tombstone, according to CPD. While he remains unemployed, police said he was carrying $2,410 cash. Frankie Torres, 18, was found lying next to a tree in the cemetery, and Northeastern Illinois University Police Department officers arrested 21-year-old Aldo Torres on a nearby access road, according to CPD arrest reports.
Investigators found three guns in the cemetery and a fourth inside the stolen Infiniti, which bore license plates that were stolen from a different car.
“Amazing recovery of firearms by our officers working in the 017th District,” CPD’s Albany Park (17th) District tweeted on Monday. “Also recovered was over $11,000 in [cash]. The officers were able to place (3) subjects into custody and obtain Felony Charges. JOB well Done!”
Judge Ankur Srivastava detained all three men on charges of reckless discharge of a firearm that endangers others and criminal trespass to a vehicle.
