Gun arrests reported near Chopin Park on Chicago’s NW Side

Two teens were arrested last week in separate incidents for reportedly possessing guns near Chopin Park, 3420 N. Long Ave., where last year several incidents of gunfire took place at or near the Northwest Side park.

A suspect was arrested at about 10:25 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, in the playground at Chopin Park, after he reportedly fled during a traffic stop in the 5500 block of West Cornelia Avenue, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police.

Officers reported that the suspect possessed a handgun with a high-capacity magazine, according to police.

Officers on patrol curbed a gray Honda Civic after the driver ran a stop sign and recognized the 17-year-old driver from a previous interaction, according to police. The driver reported that he possessed cannabis, and the officers then asked the occupants to exit the vehicle, police said. 

One of the occupants fled on foot after officers asked for consent to search him, police said. He reportedly was observed throwing an object behind the park fieldhouse, police said.

The 18-year-old was apprehended in the playground and allegedly possessed several bullets, police said. The handgun was found behind the fieldhouse, police said.

A name check revealed that the man did not possess a FOID card or a concealed carry license, according to police. He was being processed on a gun charge, according to police, but additional details were not immediately available.

The driver was issued traffic citations, police said.

In addition, a suspect reportedly was found to possess a loaded handgun following a traffic stop at about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the 3300 block of North Lockwood Avenue, according to police.

Officers reported that they noticed the driver of a vehicle traveling south on Lockwood not wearing a seatbelt and pulled the vehicle over near the intersection of Lockwood and School Street, according to police

Officers then reported that they noticed an open bottle of cognac on the rear floor board and observed the front passenger repeatedly adjusting a bulge in the waistband of his pants, police said. Officers conducted a search and reportedly found a loaded handgun in the waistband of the 17-year-old passenger, police said.

A check of the handgun’s serial number revealed that the gun had been reported stolen out of Hammond, IN, on Oct. 2, 2024, police said. The suspect was placed into custody and the vehicle was impounded, according to police. 

Crime in and around Chopin Park last year prompted the installation of a temporary Police Observation Device camera in the park.

Last fall 12 spent shell casings, along with three parked vehicles that were struck by bullets, were found near Newport & Lockwood avenues on Sept. 24.

A week earlier beat officers reported hearing gunshots on Sept. 19 in the 5400 block of West Roscoe Street, across from the park, according to police.

Witnesses told the officers that a man was standing on a sidewalk and shooting at three other men who were sitting on bleachers in the park, more than 100 feet away, according to police. The men on the bleachers fled the area, and no one was reported injured, police said.

Also, a man who had been a victim in a 2024 shooting at Chopin Park was arrested on Aug. 23 in the 5300 block of West Cornelia Avenue after he reportedly was found in possession of a stolen Glock firearm from Crest Hill, police said. In June a man was shot near the basketball court and at the time two suspects were arrested on gun charges near the park but were not charged with the shooting.

In addition, a teenager reported that the trunk of his vehicle was struck by a bullet on Aug. 27 while he was driving in the 5200 block of Cornelia, police said. The bullet reportedly was shot from someone in a black Lexus sport utility vehicle, police said.

Also in the area, a man reported that a teenager pointed a handgun at him on Oct. 17 in the 3800 block of North Long Avenue, according to police.

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