A Chicago man, Raphael Morales, who was previously arrested for pistol-whipping and holding a woman at gunpoint in April, has found himself in trouble with the law once again. This time, he is facing new charges for firing a pistol on the Near West Side, the same weapon he falsely reported as stolen following his April arrest, according to prosecutors.
Morales, 33, was taken into custody on April 12 after Chicago police witnessed him shooting at a car while chasing it through the West Side. Subsequently, he was found holding a handgun to a woman’s face. The police report stated that officers near Mount Sinai Hospital heard gunfire and observed Morales firing a gun from a Nissan Rogue towards a gray Chevrolet Impala as both vehicles turned south onto California Avenue.
A bystander flagged down the officers and reported that Morales had been shooting at him and was now holding his girlfriend at gunpoint. The police located Morales shortly after and found him holding the 20-year-old woman against a wall with a handgun pointed at her face. The woman had a laceration above her eyebrow, allegedly caused by Morales striking her with the gun.
Despite the serious allegations, Judge Deidre Dyer decided to release Morales on electronic monitoring with a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. She also ordered him not to commit any new offenses or possess any weapons while his case was pending.
In a surprising turn of events, Morales filed a police report in early May claiming that his firearm had been stolen on the same day he was at the courthouse awaiting a hearing before Judge Dyer. Prosecutors now allege that Morales fabricated the theft report to circumvent the judge’s no-gun order while retaining access to the weapon.
Fast forward to July 16, Morales, still wearing an ankle monitor, was allegedly involved in an incident where he fired the same gun he had reported stolen. Officers responded to reports of shots fired and found Morales in a fight, with citizens yelling that he had a gun. An officer saw a handgun protruding from Morales’ pocket and recovered it. The gun had a defaced serial number and was loaded. Surveillance footage showed Morales firing the weapon into the air on the sidewalk, with officers retrieving seven shell casings from the scene.
Morales now faces charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated possession of a weapon, and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number. Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered Morales detained, stating that he reported the gun stolen to evade the court’s order.
Prosecutors revealed that Morales’ concealed carry and Firearm Owner’s ID card were revoked following his April arrest. The repeated incidents involving firearms and deception paint a troubling picture of Morales’ disregard for the law and public safety.
