CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – The University of Illinois Police recently announced that a routine traffic stop early Sunday led to a man’s arrest for illegally carrying a loaded gun.
At about 1:30 a.m., a U of I Police officer observed a car disobey a stop sign near the intersection of John and Neil streets, only a few blocks from campus. After the officer stopped and approached the car, he noticed a strong smell of cannabis emanating from the inside. He asked all of the occupants to exit the car so it could be searched.
It was reported that one of the passengers, 23-year-old Dazhan D. Moore, alerted police that he had a firearm in his waistband and began reaching for it. Officers quickly grabbed his arms and retrieved the weapon themselves. They also found a small bag of cannabis in Moore’s pants pocket.
According to police, the firearm was loaded with an extended magazine containing 31 rounds of ammunition. Moore does possess a Firearm Owners Identification, but police said he is not permitted to carry a concealed weapon. Illinois law also makes it illegal to carry a weapon and cannabis in the manner that Moore was carrying it.
Officers said they arrested Moore for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was taken to the Champaign County Jail. The driver of the car was released with a verbal warning for disobeying the stop sign.
