Man With Gun Watches Porn At Mall, Fights Arresting Cops: Prosecutors

LINCOLNWOOD, IL — A man brought a gun to Lincolnwood Town Center, began to watch pornographic videos in a store and resisted police after he was asked to leave, authorities said.

Jessie Beckford, 24, of unincorporated Maine Township, was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, as well as misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing and two counts of resisting arrest.

According to police and prosecutors, T-Mobile store staff noticed him watching inappropriate videos on the phones and told Beckford he was no longer welcome there. He refused to leave, so they called the cops.

Beckford, who is not a licensed gun owner, was still there when a pair of Lincolnwood police officers arrived and noticed a gun sticking out of his front jacket pocket while speaking to him, prosecutors said at his initial court appearance Thursday in Skokie.

The officers told him he was under arrest, and he began to struggle with them, according to authorities. Prosecutors described his resistance as "extreme," noting officers reported using knee strikes to take him into custody.

Following his arrest, Beckford waived his constitutional right against self-incrimination and admitted possessing the gun, a loaded 9mm pistol, authorities said.

---

Earlier this year, Beckford was convicted of misdemeanor resisting police and criminal damage to property and spent 16 days in Cook County Jail. He also failed to appear in court in August on another misdemeanor charge, according to court officials.

Cook County Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese ordered Beckford to remain jailed unless he comes up with the $5,000 cash portion of his bond. He said he took Beckford's previous resisting conviction into account when setting the amount.

The judge described Beckford's alleged conduct at the T-Mobile store as "outrageous" and suggestive of a "grave character flaw."

"Officers potentially risk their life by approaching this defendant, then intervene in an attempt to take him into custody," Calabrese said.

Instead of complying, he allegedly engaged in "combat" with the officers, the judge noted

"Those are extraordinarily troubling circumstances," he said.

Beckford is due back in court Nov. 17 for a preliminary hearing.