Prosecutors say a convicted felon was found with a loaded gun after he led police responding to a call of a person shot on a pursuit that ended in a crash in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department responded around 12:10 a.m. on May 6 to the 1000 block of Hickory Avenue for a report of a person shot.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said that officers arrived and confirmed no one was shot.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Shanley-Roberts said a vehicle was seen fleeing the scene as officers arrived.
Officers believed the vehicle was involved in the shooting and they pursued the vehicle with lights and sirens.
The car traveled 80 mph in a 40 mph zone and failed to stop at four stop signs, Shanley-Roberts said.
The car then ran off the road and crashed. Officers saw Keyshon L. Gayden, 20, of Waukegan, exit and flee on foot.
A foot pursuit ensued and Gayden was taken into custody, Shanley-Roberts said.
He was found with a prescription bottle with a label that contained 30 blue pills consistent with oxycodone hydrochloride.
Officers conducted a search in the immediate area with the assistance of a canine, where Gayden ran and was apprehended.
The canine located a gun that had a loaded magazine inserted and a round in the chamber, Shanley-Roberts said. The gun was equipped with a laser.
Gayden was arrested in a home’s backyard in the 500 block of Julian Street.
The firearm was located in the backyard of the next-door home and the incident occurred within 500 feet of a school, Most Blessed Trinity Academy.
Shanley-Roberts said the handgun was a 5-7 imitation, which is a gun model designed to fire rifle rounds. Gayden is a convicted felon and does not have a FOID or concealed carry license.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Gayden pending trial and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the request during a detention hearing.
Gayden remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on June 5 for a preliminary hearing.