A man smoking on the Red Line train led Cook County Sheriff’s Police to engage him in conversation, ultimately uncovering a loaded firearm, officials reported on Monday. This marks the third arrest related to gun possession on CTA trains since the agency began its patrols of Chicago’s rail lines late last month.
On April 16, at around 7 p.m., sheriff’s officers noticed Angel Williams, 25, smoking inside a Red Line train car. They escorted him off at the 69th Street stop. During his detention for disorderly conduct, officers allegedly found a loaded gun on him.
Court documents indicate that prosecutors did not request Judge Luciano Panici, Jr. to hold Williams, who faces charges of unlawful weapon possession.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office initiated its CTA patrols late last month following federal pressure on the transit agency to enhance safety on the city’s train lines. Since then, officers have been featured in multiple social media clips addressing disruptive passengers and making arrests, with at least three incidents involving firearms on the Red Line.
On March 31, sheriff’s officers apprehended Carl Adams, 40, for moving between train cars through emergency exits at the 95th Street station. Upon detaining him for disorderly conduct and searching his backpack, they allegedly found a loaded pistol. Adams was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon, and Judge Deidre Dyer ordered his detention until trial.
Records reveal Adams was placed on federal probation in August 2025 for a separate gun-related arrest on February 1, 2020, when Chicago police discovered a loaded pistol on him in the 4500 block of West Jackson Boulevard.
Federal prosecutors outlined Adams’ criminal history over two decades, including retail theft in 2020; residential burglary and heroin-related charges in 2012; unlawful business solicitations in 2008 and 2005; cocaine and THC possession in 2006; vehicle trespass in 2005; controlled substance possession in 2003; and cannabis charges in 2002.
On April 7, officers at the 69th Street platform heard loud music from a train and detained Vincent Jones, 27, for using a portable speaker. After exiting at the 79th Street stop, a search of Jones and his belongings allegedly revealed a firearm.
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