Three arrested on gun charges hours after Trump’s federal surge announced in Chicago
Two are convicted felons and another was in possession of a modified “machinegun.”
The Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in downtown Chicago, Illinois. (Ken Lund | Flickr via Creative Commons)
(The Center Square) – Three men face federal weapons charges two days after President Donald Trump’s “Operation Legend” sent hundreds of additional federal agents to Chicago to quell continued violence.
John Lausch Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, made the announcement Friday, saying the charges are the first federal prosecutions in Chicago under the Department of Justice’s Operation Legend.
“Operation Legend has strengthened our efforts to apprehend and charge illegal gun offenders in Chicago,” Lausch said. “Under Operation Legend, we are working closer than ever with the Chicago Police Department, ATF, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to arrest and prosecute individuals engaging in violent crime in the city.”
The operation is a Department of Justice initiative where federal agents work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime.
Darryl Collins, 30, of Dolton, faces one count of illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Romeo Holloway, 21, of Chicago, is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Darryl Phillips, 22, of Chicago, faces one count of illegal possession of a machine gun. Phillips was arrested Wednesday morning by federal and local law enforcement. They found a semiautomatic handgun in a bedroom, according to the complaint, equipped with an auto-sear device, commonly known as a “switch” that allows fully-automatic fire.
The three were arrested last week, one before the U.S. District Attorney announced the surge of agents.
According to federal authorities, Chicago is experiencing a sharp uptick in violent crime, with homicides up 51% over 2019. Over the weekend of July 17, more than 60 people were shot in the city of Chicago, with 14 fatalities, they said.
