Man charged with shooting at postal inspectors was on an ankle monitor for machine gun possession

CHICAGO — The person charged with taking pictures at U.S. Postal Inspectors as they hunted for an armed robber within the suburbs final week was sporting an ankle monitor for allegedly possessing a machine gun lower than a month in the past, courtroom information present.

On December 18, prosecutors instructed Decide John Fairman that 19-year-old Jesus Santillan had two firearms with prolonged magazines, together with one geared up with a full-auto swap, in his backpack when he ran from a stolen automobile in Bridgeview. Decide Fairman rejected the state’s detention request and despatched Santillan dwelling with a nighttime curfew on the courtroom’s digital monitoring program.

Santillan is accused of taking pictures at postal inspectors as they looked for the person who robbed a mail provider at gunpoint because the sufferer labored her route in Harvey.

As a mail provider labored her route close to 158th Road and Union Avenue, a person pointed a handgun geared up with a drum journal in her course and demanded her belongings, officers stated. He then demanded entry to her U.S. Postal Service automobile and stole a bath of mail.

Shortly after the holdup, two postal inspectors approached three males close to an alley to talk with them in regards to the theft, officers stated.

Because the inspectors approached, Santillan allegedly pointed a handgun at them and opened fireplace. No accidents had been reported. Federal officers stated the inspectors didn’t return fireplace, however they did chase and arrest Santillan after he bumped into a close-by dwelling.

Postal inspectors discovered a mail tub within the kitchen of the residence and situated the alleged robber, 18-year-old Ahmel Holmes of Kankakee, within the basement. Additionally within the basement had been a 9-millimeter handgun, a plastic bag crammed with mail, a drum journal, and a disassembled 40-caliber handgun, in accordance with a federal prison criticism.

On Holmes’ cellphone, a postal inspector allegedly discovered a draft message stating, “We f***ed up they elevating all of it upstairs we hiding, I don’t acquired s**t on me however qué mas Asia I simply got here for my Jordan’s cuase I lefft em trigger I used to be utilizing crocs , however than this nigha shot and than police got here n it was at a police officer ,”

Machine weapons a rising drawback

New Prepare dinner County State’s Lawyer Eileen O’Neill Burke introduced on December 2, her first weekday in workplace, that prosecutors would instantly start searching for detention petitions in opposition to anybody accused of possessing a machine gun.

However, as Santillan’s case demonstrates, it takes two to tango. Her efforts will solely go to date if judges don’t approve the detention petitions.

Practically all machine weapons confiscated in Chicago are illegally modified Glock handguns, which might be transformed to automated fireplace by outfitting them with an affordable after-market machine known as a “Glock swap” or “sear swap.”

On Tuesday, the U.S. Customs and Border Safety workplace introduced that brokers in its Chicago workplace seized 473 shipments containing a complete of 1,507 “switches” in 2024.

“Within the months of July, August, and September, officers seized a complete of 241 shipments containing a whopping 948 switches,” an company spokesperson stated. “Most of those seizures had been from China and had been heading to varied areas all through the U.S.”