Chicago teen caught with handgun in Evanston facing felony charges

A teenage boy from Chicago is facing multiple felony weapons charges after he was caught with a handgun Thursday evening in north suburban Evanston.

About 7:45 p.m., detectives heading south on Ridge Avenue near Howard Street were flagged down by a woman who saw someone firing a handgun from a vehicle on Birchwood Avenue near Ridge, according to Evanston police.

As the detectives were responding to the tip, they saw a male carrying a nickel-plated handgun running west on Birchwood from Hoyne Avenue, police said.

The detectives then got out of their vehicle and took the male into custody, police said. They recovered a loaded Colt .380 caliber handgun from the boy, who was identified as a 16-year-old from Chicago.

The boy was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, both felonies, police said. He was taken to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.