Press Release: Man with a Gun Call Leads to a UUW Charge

City of Evanston, Illinois sent this bulletin at 05/13/2024 03:18 PM CDT

Monday, May 13, 2024 | View in browser

Man with a Gun Call Leads to a UUW Charge

EVANSTON, IL - On May 5, 2024, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Evanston Police Officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy in the 100 block of Asbury Avenue to investigate a man with a gun call. The anonymous caller stated there was an armed individual inside the CVS and that the caller feared the armed subject was going to rob the CVS. The caller provided a description of the armed subject.

Once officers arrived, they entered the CVS to investigate. Inside the CVS, the officers located a subject that matched the description. The subject, John Hernandez, was stopped and patted down, and the officers felt what they believed to be a handgun. The officers then secured and handcuffed Hernandez. Hernandez stated that he had a handgun in his left pant’s pocket. One of the officers then recovered a loaded Ruger Security 9mm handgun.

Prior to leaving the CVS, the officers interviewed an employee and reviewed surveillance footage. The interview with the employee and review of the footage did not reveal any attempts to commit a robbery of CVS.

Hernandez was transported to the police station, where officers performed a more thorough search in lock-up. That search led to the recovery of a small amount of suspected heroin. The suspect heroin tested positive for the presence of heroin and weighed approximately one gram.

The investigation revealed that Hernandez did not have a FOID Card or a Concealed Carry License and was a convicted felon. The investigation was reviewed with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the State’s Attorney approved a felony count of unlawful use of a weapon by felon.

Click here for a picture of the gun.

Offender

Hernandez, John, a 39-year-old male

Homeless

Charges