Chicago man charged with illegal possession of machine gun during gunfight

CHICAGO - A Chicago man has been federally charged after a shootout in the city's Near West Side neighborhood earlier this year, authorities announced Friday.

Marquist Evans, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of illegal possession of a machine gun and ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

The charges stem from an incident on May 6 when Evans allegedly fired numerous shots from a handgun equipped with a conversion device, commonly known as a "Glock switch," which allows the weapon to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger.

According to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, Evans was standing in the doorway of a gas station in the 500 block of West Grenshaw Street when he exchanged gunfire with two individuals who had emerged from a car and fired shots at the vehicle Evans had arrived in.

Evans is currently in custody and scheduled to be arraigned on the federal charges on August 15. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

"Combating the unacceptable level of gun violence in Chicago will continue to be a top priority in our office," Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual said in a statement.

The case is part of ongoing efforts by federal authorities to reduce violent crime in Chicago.