A Downers Grove man was arrested in Naperville for allegedly hiding a loaded gun under a car seat in which his year-old daughter was seated, officials said.
In addition to one count of felony aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon concealed in a vehicle, Antoine Street, 40, faces charges of resisting a police officer, endangering the health or life of a child and unlawful possession of cannabis by a passenger, all of which are misdemeanors, a Naperville Police Department/DuPage County state’s attorney’s office news release said.
According to the report, police pulled over a vehicle registered to Street about 10:45 p.m. Feb. 3 at West Ogden and West 5th avenues because of Cook County warrants issued for his arrest. Street was seated in the back seat behind the front passenger seat and next to a car seat occupied by a 1-year-old child, reports said.
When officers told Street he was under arrest, he allegedly resisted and had to be forced out of the vehicle. During a search, a loaded 9mm Ruger pistol with the handle was facing Street and the barrel pointed towards the driver’s side of the vehicle was discovered, the release said.
Police also found Street was allegedly carrying about 32 grams of cannabis, the release said.
“The very idea that someone would hide a loaded weapon, with one bullet in the chamber, under an occupied child car seat where their infant daughter was sitting is inconceivable,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Thankfully, officers were able to remove the weapon before tragedy struck.”
Police Chief Jason Arres said, “Arrests like this highlight the fact that our officers aren’t just sitting around waiting for the next 911 call to come in. They’re out there patrolling, conducting traffic stops, and making this city safer.”
Street was ordered to be held in the DuPage County jail pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 2.
