UPDATE: This story has been updated to remove the name of the arrestee. Formal charges were filed and later dismissed.
URBANA, Illinois – University of Illinois Police officers recovered a loaded gun and arrested a Champaign man for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon Wednesday evening on campus.
Police first saw the car on Kirby Avenue, where it was traveling 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. Kirby Avenue and Florida Avenue – which is the same street depending on which city you’re in – have many pedestrian crosswalks and safety is a concern.
Police stopped the vehicle for speeding and discovered its driver, (name redacted as charges were dismissed), 24, had two outstanding arrest warrants because he failed to appear in court to answer charges related to animal cruelty and property damage.
Upon arresting (name redacted) for the warrants, he admitted that he had a firearm in the vehicle. Police found a loaded gun in the driver’s side door.
Under state law, it is illegal to transport a loaded gun that is readily accessible to the occupants of the vehicle. Firearms in cars should be unloaded and kept in an enclosed case.
(Name redacted) was arrested for aggravated unlawful use of a firearm and taken to the Champaign County Jail.
