Remember the guy who went viral earlier this year when video showed Chicago cops tackling him moments after he allegedly livestreamed himself with a gun and then fired the weapon inside a Northwest Side park?
Well, his week is going very, very badly: the ATF is taking his case to federal court.
Federal prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against 20-year-old Eddie Arguelles of Wicker Park, accusing him of possessing a machine gun. The charge stems from his May 14 arrest at Riis Park, where police said they caught him with a Glock 23 pistol outfitted with a conversion switch, extended magazine, and laser attachment.
Investigators say Arguelles essentially livestreamed his own federal gun crime on Instagram, using the handle @emurdaswitchemdown. The account, tied to his name and image, featured photos and videos of him posing with firearms, according to the feds. The account has since been taken down.
The arrest unfolded after 911 callers reported a masked man dressed in black firing shots on the park’s football field. Officers chased Arguelles on a stolen scooter until he crashed, then fought to keep him from reaching for the bulge in his pants: a Glock loaded with 23 rounds and equipped to fire automatically. Witnesses pointed police to a spent casing nearby, allegedly evidence that he fired the weapon.
Earlier that evening, Arguelles went live on Instagram as he rode a scooter around Riis Park, 6100 West Fullerton.
“This 20 got a switch on it,” he boasted, telling viewers that the Glock 20 he displayed was equipped with an illegal aftermarket switch that allows it to fire like a machine gun.
Moments later, the video cut to a different scene: Chicago cops piling onto the loud-mouthed gunman on the park’s football field. His scooter lay on its side.
“You! Stupid a** n****r!” a bystander yelled as a crowd of spectators filmed the takedown.
Here’s the video, in case you want to see it for yourself:
Another video from Arguelles’ Instagram account, cited in the federal complaint, allegedly shows him tinkering with a pistol slide and explaining, “This little piece right here is what’s blocking the switch. Like they knew a m**********r was trying to put that b**** in here. That m**********r is supposed [to] slide all the way in.”
ATF agents say the video shows him installing an illegal switch that converts a pistol to fully automatic fire.
Those details matter.
Law enforcement sources say the biggest hurdle in prosecuting machine gun cases is proving the defendant knew the weapon was a machine gun. Without proof of knowledge, convictions are unlikely.
Prosecutors argue that Arguelles’ social media posts demonstrate he knew exactly what a switch is and how it works, making it easier to prove that he knowingly possessed a machine gun when police allegedly pulled the Glock from his pant leg at Riis Park.
Cook County prosecutors already charged Arguelles with unlawful use of a machine gun, reckless discharge, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Some, possibly all, of those counts will likely be dropped now that the feds have taken over.
If convicted of the federal charge, Arguelles faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
