Guns Found After Car Crashes On Edens Expressway With Kids Inside: ISP

SKOKIE, IL — State troopers found a pair of illegal guns inside a car that crashed last week on the Edens Expressway with two children inside, authorities said.

Troopers spotted a car speeding in the northbound lanes of Interstate 94 at Tower Road shortly before 7 a.m. on Oct. 16 and turned on their emergency lights in an attempt to pull it over, according to Illinois State Police reports.

Before they were able to catch up to the speeding car, it crashed into the back of another car. Officers reported the car had heavy front-end damage, prosecutors said.

The troopers went to the crashed car to check on the condition of the people inside, authorities said, but as they opened the rear passenger-side door, they noticed a black gun near the feet of one of the passengers, which included two men and two children.

State police asked for backup, and when additional troopers arrived, they asked everyone to get out of the car and searched it, according to prosecutors. No one needed medical attention.

Police reported they found the gun that had been spotted on a floorboard wedged between the sunroof divider and roof.

"Additionally, troopers found a second hand gun, black and silver, on the front passenger floorboard in front of where [Andra] Barnes had been seated," said Assistant State's Attorney Kate Fritzmann.

"Both handguns were loaded," she said, "and the handgun that was found on the front passenger floorboard was reported stolen out of Indiana."

Prosecutors approved felony firearm charges against two of the car's passengers.

Don Merritt, 28, and Andra Barnes, 22, both of Chicago, were each charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, records show.

The driver of the car claimed the guns were his, "but his story did not match up with what troopers said," the prosecutor said at Merritt's and Barnes' first court appearance in Skokie.

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At the time of the incident, Merritt was awaiting trial on a misdemeanor charge of illegally possessing ammunition.

Both men were ordered to remain jailed unless they can come up with $5,000 cash to secure their release ahead of trial. Neither man had done so as of Monday. Both are due back in court Nov. 7.