CHICAGO – On Monday, Chicago police officers, responding to separate ShotSpotter alerts, arrested three people in less than an hour for illegal firearms possession, including one man who allegedly had a machine gun. Police also found shell casings at all three locations, evidence that weapons had been fired.
During a city council meeting on Wednesday afternoon, 70% of councilors present voted for CPD Supt. Larry Snelling has the authority to sign a new deal with the gunfire detection company. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who appears determined to have the technology removed after the current contract expires Sunday, vetoed the legislation within hours.
The arrests on Monday began at 12:05 a.m. when CPD officers responded to two ShotSpotter alerts in an alley behind the 4300 block of South Washtenaw. When they arrived, they saw Julio Beltran-Escobar, 42, behind the wheel of a car with a friend in the passenger seat, according to a police arrest report.
When asked what they were doing, Beltran-Escobar reportedly replied: “Celebrating Mexican independence.”
During a search of Beltran-Escobar’s car, officers reportedly found a loaded handgun in a brown bag under the driver’s seat.
Beltran-Escobar told police he found the gun earlier in the evening while celebrating Mexican Independence Day at 26th and Kedzie, the report said. He allegedly explained that he saw a gang member running away and throwing the gun away when CPD arrived at the intersection.
Officers found two shell casings at the second ShotSpotter address, the report said. They did not match the ammunition in the gun that police allegedly found in Beltran-Escobar’s car.
Judge William Fahy released him Monday afternoon pending trial.
Then, around 12:19 p.m., officers responded to multiple ShotSpotter alerts in the 3100 block of South Ridgeway. Prosecutors said officers searching for shell casings saw Estevan Maldonado and a woman arguing in a Ford Explorer nearby.
As officers approached the Explorer, they observed a firearm in Maldonado’s right hand and placed shell casings on his body, according to a second CPD report. When an officer tried to take the gun, Maldonado refused to give it up and pulled it away, the report said.
The weapon was a loaded ghost gun equipped with a laser sight and an illegal switch that turns it into a fully automatic weapon, police allege. According to their report, officers also found three shell casings, a live bullet and an extended magazine behind the driver’s seat. His passenger, prosecutors said, told police he fired the gun.
When police asked Maldonado if he had a gun permit from Illinois, he allegedly replied that he didn’t need one because he is from Indiana.
Prosecutors disagreed. They charged him with class X misdemeanor possession of a machine gun and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Judge William Fahy ordered him jailed pending trial.
The third ShotSpotter-related gun arrest occurred at 1:05 a.m. in the 6700 block of South Merrill.
Arriving officers reportedly saw Michael Bailey, 43, of Bellwood, standing at the ShotSpotter address. They spoke to his girlfriend, who, according to Bailey’s arrest report, said he came to her house drunk and demanded his phone.
According to the report, she said he became angry and walked to his car before she heard two gunshots and saw him return from the vehicle.
Officers reportedly saw a gun wedged between the driver’s seat and center console of Bailey’s car. Police found two shell casings at the scene: one in the chamber of the gun they recovered from Bailey’s car and another next to the driver’s side door, the report said.
He is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and reckless discharge of a firearm. According to the CPD report, the gun was reported stolen.
Judge Fahy released Bailey pending trial. Prosecutors have not filed a petition asking Fahy to keep him in jail.
Previous reporting
Critics of the ShotSpotter system emphasize that it is inaccurate and ineffective. Some say it’s racist. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx claimed that ShotSpotter does not contribute significantly to firearms-related prosecutions in the city.
Our team reads hundreds of Chicago police reports every week. It’s safe to say that ShotSpotter alerts routinely result in the arrest of armed men – and they’re almost always men – after shots are fired in the city. This series contains cases that we came across by chance during our work. It is not an exhaustive list of all ShotSpotter cases submitted.
- ShotSpotter led to at least four arrests and five gun seizures during first weekend of new contract: Chicago police reports (Feb. 23, 2024)
- ShotSpotter orders Chicago police in quadruple shooting, charges filed (March 1, 2024)
- Driver shot overnight on Northwest Side; ShotSpotter worked perfectly. (Video) (March 9, 2024)
- ShotSpotter orders Chicago police in quadruple shooting, charges filed (March 1, 2024)
- ShotSpotter Leads to More Arrests and Gun Recoveries as Chicago Leaders Prepare to Pull the Plug (March 23, 2024)
- ShotSpotter led police on parole who fired a gun while threatening a postal worker (April 13, 2024)
- ShotSpotter led Chicago police to mass shooting that left 10 injured 8-year-old girls dead (April 14, 2024)
- Off-duty Chicago police officer shot and killed in Gage Park is found after ShotSpotter alert (April 21, 2024)
- ShotSpotter alerts continue to lead Chicago police to gunmen and shell casings, arrest reports say (April 23, 2024)
- ShotSpotter leads police to shooting victim, firearm on Northwest Side (April 28, 2024)
- ShotSpotter led Chicago police to a migrant with a stolen gun and 43 rounds of ammunition: report (May 21, 2024)
- Pro-ShotSpotter’s order passes the city council in a landslide. Why don’t North Side aldermen want South Siders to get it? (May 22, 2024)
- Man shot at off-duty deputy’s car while in police custody, prosecutors say (May 31, 2024)
- Additional ShotSpotter-related stories published by CWBChicago
- ShotSpotter Cited As Officials Charge Men With Murder, Attempted Murder, But Chicago Mayor Insists Technology Isn’t Working (June 12, 2024)
- North Side Councilwoman Falsely Claims Her Department Has ShotSpotter and Says It Doesn’t Work (June 24, 2024)
- Cop who killed teen should be under house arrest over weapons case, prosecutors say (June 25, 2024)
- Gunman fired shots after trying to rob victim on CTA bus, prosecutors say (June 28, 2024)
- ShotSpotter Gives Police Edge After Gunmen Kill Two Adults and Injure Three Children on July 4, 2024
- With contract expiring, ShotSpotter continues to lead police to guns, evidence and shooting victims (July 6, 2024)
- Killers used six guns to kill a West Side man: Prosecutors (July 18, 2024)
- Officers responding to ShotSpotter alert arrived so quickly they saw gunman drive away, officials say (July 25, 2024)
- ShotSpotter Sends Cops to a Murder Scene No One Called, and Sends Cops to Another Location in Seconds (August 20, 2024)
- Gunmen Kill 1, Injure 5 During Motorcycle Rally; ShotSpotter Gives Chicago Police a 2-Minute Head Start (August 21, 2024)
- Three men jailed on gun charges after police respond to ShotSpotter alerts (Aug 29, 2024)
- Hours after ShotSpotter sends police to man felled by gunfire, mayor derides the technology as ‘walkie-talkies on a stick’ (September 16, 2024)
- ShotSpotter Gives Police Two Minutes Head Start After Gunmen Shoot Into Dance Studio, Injuring 13-Year-Old And Three Adults (September 18, 2024)
Original reporting you won’t see anywhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
