Riverside police find loaded gun, marijuana following crash

An 18-year-old Chicago man was charged when a loaded handgun and marijuana was recovered from a vehicle after a crash on Thursday in west suburban Riverside.

Matthew K. Coutee, 18, of the Cragin neighborhood, was charged with felony counts of possession of marijuana and manufacture and delivery of marijuana, according to Riverside police.

Coutee was a passenger in a 1999 Honda that collided with a 2007 BMW just after 5:30 p.m. on First Avenue near Wabaunsee Road, police said. Coutee and a 17-year-old Des Plaines boy who was driving the Honda were taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood following the crash for treatment of their injuries. The occupants of the BMW were treated at the scene and released.

While processing the crash, an unspecified amount of packaged marijuana and a loaded .40 caliber Glock Model 23 semi-automatic pistol was found in the Honda, police said.

Coutee was charged after he was treated and released into their custody, police said. Drug and weapons charges were expected against the Des Plaines boy upon his release from Loyola.