Man With Firearm Found In Evanston In Car That Fled Niles Cop: Police

NILES, IL — Police said a Chicago man faces a firearm felony after he was arrested in Evanston early Friday by investigators from the Niles Police Department following up on an early morning fleeing and eluding incident from the prior week.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on May 18, a Niles police officer tried to pull over the driver of an Infiniti for a traffic infraction in the 7200 block of Dempster Street, according to police.

When the officer approached the car, the sped away east on Dempster, police said. While the officer did not initially gave chase, police documented the incident and passed it on to the detective bureau for a follow-up.

Around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, Niles police special operations investigators pulled over a matching Infiniti sedan in the 800 block of Seward Street in Evanston. Investigators noticed a gun with an extended magazine "in plain view" inside the car, according to police.

Police said the gun was determined to be a Beretta 9mm loaded with about 30 rounds.

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Alexis M. Hurtado Garcia, 24, of the 4300 block of West Schubert Avenue, Chicago, was the driver of the car, according to police.

Hurtado Garcia was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, a felony, and driving with a suspended or revoked license, a misdemeanor, authorities said.

Following an initial court appearance, a judge ordered Hurtado Garcia to post the $1,000 cash portion of his bond to secure his pretrial release.