Naperville teen arrested for carrying loaded handgun during 'teen takeover': officials

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A 14-year-old Naperville boy was arrested after police found a loaded handgun on him during a "teen takeover" event downtown, the DuPage County State’s Attorney said.

What we know:

The charge stems from an incident just after 7:30 p.m. June 14 near Washington Street and Jefferson Avenue in Naperville. During a "teen takeover" event, an officer noticed the boy acting suspiciously, prosecutors said.

After a safety pat-down, the officer found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun in the teen’s waistband and took him into custody.

What they're saying:

"The allegation that a fourteen-year-old boy was in possession of a loaded, semi-automatic handgun during an extremely crowded event in downtown Naperville is extremely disturbing," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "Once again, the Naperville Police Department’s vigilant policing and heads up work led to the removal of an allegedly illegally possessed handgun from our streets and possibly prevented a future tragedy. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Bethany Jackson and Michael Pingaj for their efforts on this case."

"This was a disturbing discovery by our officers, and I could not be more grateful to them for their vigilance and professionalism, which led to this arrest and potentially prevented a tragedy," Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres said. "Residents and visitors to Naperville should expect to continue seeing a large police presence in our downtown, at special events, and anywhere large groups are congregating. We take our responsibility to keep this community safe very seriously and will have zero tolerance for criminal, disruptive, or unsafe behavior that puts others at risk. I thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for filing the appropriate charges in this case and for their continued support of law enforcement."

What's next:

The teen is scheduled to return to court June 27.