Man faces weapons charges after brief chase in Aurora

A man is facing felony charges after a brief chase Tuesday in west suburban Aurora.

About 3:30 p.m., officers spotted a pickup truck in the 500 block of North Westlawn Avenue that they knew was involved in past criminal activity, according to Aurora police. The truck’s registered owner and one of her relatives who drives the truck both had suspended licenses, and the relative was wanted on several warrants.

A few minutes later, Artis Thomas, the 33-year-old relative of the registered owner of the truck, got in and started driving north on Westlawn, police said.

When he turned onto Illinois Avenue without using his turn signal, officers tried to pull him over in the 700 block of North Randall Road, but he tried to drive away through a front lawn before deciding to stop, police said.

A search of the truck found a loaded handgun, police said.

Thomas was charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, one because he is a felon and the other because he illegally owned the gun, police said. Officers also issued him citations for driving on a suspended license, operating an uninsured vehicle and failure to signal. He was also for two warrants of driving on a suspended license and one for domestic violence.

He was ordered held at the Kane County Adult Justice Center on a $215,250.00 bond, and he was next scheduled to appear in court on Monday.