Three Chicago men face federal charges after they tried to rob an undercover ATF agent during a gun deal arranged on Instagram, according to a criminal complaint. The agent fired a shot during the holdup attempt, which went down in a Walmart parking lot, but no injuries were reported.
According to the complaint, 19-year-old Jeremy Jones was advertising firearms for sale on Instagram under the handle @spoodyfrm76th, including a Glock Model 19 pistol and a purple and black Ruger Security-9 pistol. An undercover agent who had been in touch with Jones for nearly a year began DMing Jones about those two firearms last week.
They struck a deal to meet Thursday in the parking lot of a store on the 2500 block of West 95th Street in Evergreen Park, but Jones allegedly changed the meeting place to a Walmart at 10900 South Doty Avenue, saying the original spot was “too hot.” A second ATF undercover officer accompanied the first to the new location for backup.
When Jones arrived in a black Chevrolet Cruze around 11:30 a.m., Carmell Massey, 20, was driving, and 22-year-old Christopher Densmore was in the back seat, according to the complaint, and Jones, who uses crutches to walk, was in the front passenger seat.
Densmore allegedly got into the agents’ car and showed them the purple and black Ruger pistol. The agent removed the magazine and set it on the center console, but Densmore reloaded the weapon and said he wanted the money first, according to the complaint. When the two couldn’t agree on the order of the exchange, Densmore got back in the Cruze.
The undercover agent then got out of their vehicle and approached the Cruze on foot, carrying $600 in government money to pay for the Ruger. According to the complaint, Jones grabbed both the money and the officer through the open front passenger window, and the two began struggling over the cash. Jones then pointed the purple and black Ruger pistol directly at the undercover officer, at which point the officer drew his own weapon and fired one shot at Jones, the complaint said. The bullet struck the Cruze.
Both undercover officers signaled the surveillance team to move in. Massey allegedly drove the Cruze head-on into an ATF vehicle that had its lights and sirens activated. ATF vehicles boxed in and disabled the Cruze. All three men were taken into custody.
After being read their Miranda rights, Jones and Densmore both told investigators they had planned to rob the undercover officer of the buy money before the deal ever took place, according to the complaint. Massey claimed he did not know about the robbery plan until Jones and the officer began struggling over the money.
Each man is charged with one count of attempted robbery of a person with lawful custody of U.S. property and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
“I am proud of the professionalism and bravery demonstrated by our undercover law enforcement officers, ATF agents, and Task Force Officers on the scene,” said Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Chicago Field Division. “These professionals risk their lives day in and day out to target violent criminals and their sources of crime guns.”
Amont also thanked CPD for its support in investigating the incident.
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