Press Release: Traffic Altercation Leads to a UUW Charge

City of Evanston, Illinois sent this bulletin at 11/21/2023 02:49 PM CST

Tuesday, November 21, 2023 | View in browser

Traffic Altercation Leads to a UUW Charge

EVANSTON, IL - On October 27, 2023, at approximately 8:25 a.m., officers responded to the area of the 500 block of Grove Street for an aggravated assault incident. Upon arrival, the officers investigated and learned that the victim was driving northbound in the 2100 block of Sheridan Road when they became involved in a traffic altercation. The victim had slowed down, causing another vehicle, a black Nissan Xterra, to slow down as well. The other driver then pulled alongside the victim, engaged in a verbal altercation, and pointed a gun at the victim before fleeing the area. The offender did not fire the gun.

The victim was able to provide officers with a suspect and vehicle description. The investigation led to the identification of the offender as Amir Smajlovic.

On November 15, 2023, at approximately 3:00 p.m., an Evanston detective observed the offending vehicle being driven by Smajlovic in the 700 block of Clark Street. Smajlovic was stopped, and detectives continued their investigation. Smajlovic was placed in custody, and his vehicle was searched. The search led to the recovery of a loaded Kahr Arms CW9 handgun.

The investigation revealed that Smajlovic's driver's license had been expired for more than a year, and he had no proof of insurance. Smajlovic did not have a valid FOID Card or Concealed Carry License. Smajlovic made a statement admitting to possessing the Kahr and being the offender in the aggravated assault. He also admitted that the Kahr recovered by detectives was the handgun used in the aggravated assault. The Cook County State’s Attorney's Office reviewed the investigation and approved a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Offender

Smajlovic, Amir, 37-year-old male

1800 block of West Peterson Avenue, Chicago, IL

Charges