Man had auto-firing handgun on Blue Line while on felony pretrial release: CPD

Chicago Man Arrested for Possessing Automatic-Firing Handgun on CTA Blue Line

Alphonzo Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago man who was already out on felony pretrial release, has been arrested for allegedly carrying an automatic-firing handgun on the Blue Line downtown, as reported by the Chicago Police Department. Jones was apprehended Wednesday evening after a foot chase that spanned two CTA stations.

According to CPD, officers from the Public Transportation Section Tactical Team were conducting a routine check at the Clinton Blue Line Station when they observed Jones smoking on a train. When they attempted to detain him, Jones resisted and caused one officer to fall during the altercation.

Subsequently, Jones fled onto the train tracks and evaded officers until he emerged at the UIC-Halsted Blue Line Station, where he tried to conceal himself from law enforcement. After a brief pursuit, officers managed to apprehend him and discovered a firearm equipped with a machine gun conversion device, as well as suspected narcotics, during a search.

Jones now faces charges of unlawful use of a machine gun, resisting a peace officer, and possession of a controlled substance. This incident occurred while Jones was already on felony pretrial release for a previous shoplifting case at a Target store in Archer Heights in November. Despite prosecutors dropping two counts of resisting police related to the earlier case, Cook County Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered Jones to be detained for the new charges and for allegedly violating the terms of his pretrial release in the shoplifting matter.