12-year-old boy arrested with gun in Lawndale

A 12-year-old boy was arrested with a gun Tuesday night in the Lawndale neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Shortly before 8 p.m., 10th District officers received multiple calls for a person with a gun in the 1800 block of South Kostner, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement.

The officers found the 12-year-old boy in an alley and began speaking with him, Guglielmi said. The boy admitted he was in a gang and during a search, officers found a revolver on him. The gun is more than 30 years old.

The boy was charged as a juvenile with unauthorized use of a weapon, and his parents were contacted, Guglielmi said.

“Superintendent Johnson was briefed on the arrest last night and was upset when he learned the young age of the offender,” Guglielmi said. “He said we are our failing our children and street gangs are taking the place where parents should be.”