Two Indianapolis men drove to Chicago to participate in a street takeover and displayed a rifle while standing on a car in front of a cheering crowd, officials say. Their visit to our fair city ended with them being arrested by Chicago cops, and one of them is still in the Cook County Jail on firearms charges.
On a positive note, the spectacle was caught on video and shared online, giving the men a keepsake of their Chicago excursion that they can cherish for years to come.
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Arrests stemming from street sideshows remain relatively rare, and when they do happen, the suspects almost always come from the suburbs. Moises Sandoval II and Joshua Ferguson, both 21, drove even farther, only to be arrested around 12:40 a.m. on September 6 during a street takeover at 47th Street and California Avenue in Brighton Park.
Chicago police officers monitoring the stunt-driving antics on surveillance cameras allegedly saw Sandoval point a gun at spectators from a moving car and hold a rifle in the intersection before running into the parking lot of a nearby Shell gas station.
Responding officers found Sandoval and Ferguson behind a red Hyundai at the gas station, “tampering with” the vehicle’s partially open trunk, where the rifle was found, a CPD report said.
Prosecutors told Judge James Murphy III that Sandoval had pointed the rifle at people in the crowd and that the weapon had a round loaded in the chamber when police recovered it.
The arrest report for Ferguson provides more detail, saying surveillance officers watched him run into the center of the street takeover circle, climb onto a vehicle, and “[grasp] a loaded rifle with both hands in the middle of a street takeover, attempting to obtain possession” of the firearm. Ferguson allegedly told police he had traveled to Chicago for sideshows three times. He also allegedly said he knew the gun was in the car before the men left Indianapolis.
Video apparently showing the scene surfaced online the following day. It showed a man police believe was Sandoval, wearing a black hoodie, faded black jeans, and blue gloves, standing on a car with a rifle. Another man who closely resembled Ferguson stood nearby, surrounded by a crowd.
Sandoval is charged with unlawful use of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, misdemeanor reckless conduct, participating in a street sideshow, and possession of a laser sight. Ferguson is charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct and participating in a street sideshow.
Judge Murphy detained Sandoval. Ferguson is not charged with an offense eligible for detention under Illinois’ pretrial release law.
Chicago police also seized the red Hyundai Sonata, which was “impounded due to being used in the commission of the crime,” according to Sandoval’s arrest report.
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