Evanston man facing charge for bringing gun to retrieve stolen car without FOID card: police

EVANSTON, Ill. - An Evanston man who brought a gun with him to retrieve his mother's stolen vehicle is facing a felony charge for not having a FOID card or a Concealed Carry License, according to police. 

Jaquan Lee, 22, is facing a felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

It stems from an incident that occurred at 8:30 a.m., Dec. 18, when officers were investigating a car theft. 

A woman told police her 2013 Hyundai was stolen from her home and that she was able to track it with a GPS ping to the 7400 block of North Ridge Avenue in Chicago. 

The Hyundai was found by police parked behind an apartment building. No one was inside, but the vehicle had a broken window and a damaged steering column, authorities say. 

As officers were investigating, Lee approached and claimed to be the car theft victim's son. 

Police tried to do a pat-down search on Lee and confirm his identification. However, Lee ran from the scene before officers could perform the search. 

After a brief foot chase, Lee was detained by police but officers who were tracing his path came across a loaded handgun. 

Lee was confirmed to be the car theft victim's son. 

He told police he was trying to retrieve the vehicle and brought the gun with him for protection. Lee added that he ran from officers to get rid of the handgun. 

Authorities found that Lee did not have a FOID card or a Concealed Carry License. 

He was not detained by the Cook County Sheriff and is expected to appear in court on Jan. 23, 2024.