A Chicago man was arrested and charged with two felony counts of gun and stolen motor vehicle violations in Niles on the morning of May 17. According to Niles police, the man was also cited for fleeing to elude a police officer, the illegal transportation of alcohol and driving on a revoked license.
Niles police arrested Alexander Weatherspoon, 28, of the 8300 block of South Burnham Avenue, Chicago, on May 17 just after 8 a.m. An investigation found he had a stolen SUV, and five rounds of 9 mm ammunition and four handgun magazines were found in the vehicle, according to police, who also said an officer found a loaded 9 mm Glock pistol on the street near where the car had been parked.
Police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle at 8:09 a.m. and approached Weatherspoon, who was in a stolen Cadillac Escalade with two slashed tires parked on the 7900 block of Neva Avenue. The officers attempted to speak to Weatherspoon, but he started the vehicle and fled, according to Niles police in a news release. The officers did not pursue the vehicle.
Assisting Niles officers observed the vehicle drive westbound on Howard Street and then northbound on Milwaukee Avenue. Officers found the vehicle in an alley behind a business in the 7600 block of North Milwaukee Avenue. Weatherspoon exited the vehicle and ran from the officers, according to police, and was arrested after a brief foot chase at 7601 N. Milwaukee Avenue.
The Cook County State’s Attorney approved two felony charges against Weatherspeeon: aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, a Class 1 felony, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 2 felony. Two misdemeanor Class A charges were also approved for fleeing and attempting to elude an officer and driving on a suspended license. His first pretrial hearing was on May 18, where Cook County Circuit Judge David Kelly approved releasing him.
Weatherspoon’s attorney, Frank Kostouros, told Pioneer Press that Weatherspoon was released by Judge Kelly without any conditions for the charges he received in Niles.
Weatherspoon, however, was ordered to be arrested and brought to a U.S. magistrate judge, according to court records. Weatherspoon will face a seven count indictment in Indianapolis on June 24. An October 2023 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Indiana said Weatherspoon, who also goes by the alias Tyler Simmons, was sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements. Kostouros said he does not represent Weatherspoon for his federal case.
An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.
