A 17-year-old boy was arrested after he was found with a loaded stolen gun when officers stopped a vehicle with passengers hanging out of the windows in Zion.
Zion Police Department Lt. Derek Zaloudek said an officer spotted a red Nissan Sentra disobey a stop around 4:05 a.m. on May 27.
Officers stopped the car, which had “multiple passengers hanging out of its windows,” near 23rd St and Gabriel Avenue.
Zaloudek said officers found eight occupants, ages 16-20, inside the car.
The occupants were removed from the Nissan because of evidence of illegal cannabis use.
Officers discovered a 17-year-old male passenger was in possession of a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with a chambered round loaded with a magazine that contained 12 rounds, Zaloudek said.
The serial number was flagged as stolen from Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2017.
The 17-year-old was arrested and transported to the Zion Police Department.
All other occupants were eventually released, with the juveniles being released to a parent or guardian, Zaloudek said.
The 17-year-old boy was charged with possession of a stolen firearm and multiple counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
The boy was transported to the Robert Depke Juvenile Complex Center in Vernon Hills.
Zaloudek said it is unknown whether the 17-year-old remained in custody at the facility or not.