A routine traffic stop by Cook County Sheriff’s Police officers recently resulted in the arrests of five men for illegally possessing firearms, the agency said Tuesday. But, while a judge ordered all five men detained on the felony charges, court records show a different judge released all of them less than a week later.
It all started when sheriff’s police officers tried to pull over a red Chevy Impala for having illegally tinted windows as it traveled through River North around 5:16 p.m. on August 9, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson. They said the car sped away and evaded officers before it eventually stopped in an alley in the 500 block of North La Salle Drive.
Officers ordered the occupants out, searched them, and searched the vehicle.
Four of the men were armed with loaded 9mm handguns, two of which had extended magazines, the sheriff’s office said. A fifth firearm, a .40-caliber pistol with an extended magazine holding 21 rounds, was allegedly found under the front passenger seat. In total, officers recovered five guns, 87 rounds of ammunition, and 24 grams of cannabis, according to the sheriff’s office.
The agency identified the men as 19-year-old Zion Bellamy, 20-year-old Zavion Bellamy, 22-year-old Trajhan Young, 18-year-old Adayveon Young, and 18-year-old Jermel Rogers. None of them has a license to own or carry firearms in Illinois, according to the allegations.
Sheriff’s officials said Zavion Bellamy and Adayveon Young were each armed with loaded 9mm handguns equipped with extended magazines, and Zion Bellamy and Jermel Rogers were armed with loaded 9mm firearms with standard magazines. Trajhan Young allegedly claimed ownership of the handgun found under the seat.
Prosecutors charged each man with unlawful possession of a weapon in a vehicle. Zion Bellamy was also charged with fleeing and eluding, unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, and cited for the tinted windows. Rogers faces an additional charge of illegal cannabis possession by a passenger.
On August 10, prosecutors asked Judge Antara Rivera to detain all five men and she agreed they should be held pending trial, according to court records. However, Judge Robert Kuzas released all five men from custody five days later.
The agency charged with overseeing policing in Chicago, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), is preparing to place limitations on the kinds of traffic stops CPD officers are allowed to perform. The panel has already said that a majority of its members are prepared to order the city’s police force to stop performing traffic stops for illegal window tints.
The CCPSA has no authority over any agency other than CPD, including the sheriff’s police.
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