2 suburban men arrested on unrelated gun charges minutes apart in Naperville

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Naperville Police arrested two men for unrelated crimes just minutes apart Thursday night. 

Tony Thompson, 19, of Joliet, was found with a fully automatic firearm during a traffic stop around 8:09 p.m. 

Police pulled over a vehicle with expired license plates near Wendy's. While speaking to the driver, the officer heard what sounded like the slide of a handgun rack from inside the vehicle. 

The officer approached the individual in the passenger seat, later identified as Thompson, while awaiting backup. When backup arrived, the officer asked Thompson to exit the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a Glock 17 9 mm firearm with a switch capable of making the firearm fully automatic underneath Thompson’s seat.

Thompson was charged with one count of Possession of a Machine Gun, one count of Possession of a Firearm – no FOID and two counts of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

Tony Thompson (left) and Trensae Ware (right)

In an unrelated incident, 24-year-old Trensae Ware, of Naperville, was arrested just moments before. 

Prosecutors said officers were on patrol, driving behind a car allegedly driven by Ware when they heard a gunshot and saw the vehicle swerve and shake. 

Officers saw Ware was not wearing a seatbelt and conducted a traffic stop. After approaching the vehicle, officers located a cannabis shake on the gearshift and an open bottle of tequila in the rear pocket of the passenger’s seat. 

All four occupants were asked out of the vehicle. Prosecutors said as Ware got out, a spent shell casing was found on the driver's seat. The vehicle was then searched, and a loaded .45 caliber firearm was located under the front passenger seat. The bullets in the gun matched the spent shell casing found on the driver's seat. 

Near where the driver's left foot would have been while seated, officers saw a bullet hole that appeared to have come from inside the car. After testing all occupants for gunshot residue, residue was found only on Ware’s hands. 

A 9 mm handgun was also located in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Ware was charged with one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon and one count of Reckless Discharge of a Firearm. 

Both Ware and Thompson were denied pretrial release. The next court appearance for both men is scheduled for arraignment on July 1, 2024.