On Dec. 21, at approximately 4 p.m., members of the tactical unit of the Evanston Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the 2300 block of Emerson Street on a vehicle for a minor traffic violation. After stopping the vehicle, the detectives observed the driver, a 24-year old Evanston man, bend forward and reach down towards the floorboard of the vehicle. As the detectives were speaking with the driver, he continued to look back down towards the floorboard of the vehicle.
After the driver exited the vehicle, police found a loaded Stoeger 9mm handgun under the front driver’s seat, said Commander Joe Dugan of the Evanston Police Department. A check of the handgun revealed it was reported stolen in Waukegan, Illinois. The driver was transported to the police station and charged with one count Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon – Class 4 Felony, and related charges, said the Commander.