Police: Felon caught with assault rifle in Lawndale

A felon is facing multiple weapons charges after police allegedly caught him with an assault rifle following a chase early Saturday in the West Side Lawndale neighborhood.

About 12:55 a.m., officers investigating a call about “loud reports” near Douglas Park saw 34-year-old Lorenzo Bailey driving a car through the park at a high speed, according to Chicago Police. When he ran a stop sign at California Avenue and 12th Place, they attempted to pull the car over.

When Bailey refused to stop and sped away, the officers followed him until he abandoned the car in the 2700 block of West 12th Place and tried to run away on foot, police said. He “engaged in a brief struggle” with an officer and “physically struck” the officer in an attempt to get away.

Bailey, who lives in Lawndale, was taken into custody in the 1200 block of South Fairfield and an assault rifle was recovered from his vehicle, police said. He was charged with a felony count each of unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated battery to a peace officer. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and driving with a suspended license.

He was expected to appear in bond court on Saturday.