A man detained for allegedly possessing marijuana and defying Chicago police officers was facing just misdemeanor charges until he was transported for a quick court appearance, and a routine security screening showed that he was carrying a loaded weapon in his crotch, according to authorities.
According to Chicago police records, Philip Robinson, 23, was arrested at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, in the 6600 block of South Laflin Street on misdemeanor cannabis possession and resisting charges. Normally, he would have been in and out of the courthouse within hours.
However, every commoner entering the courthouse, whether through the front doors or the less distinguished entrance, must go through security screening. People being transferred to sheriff’s custody must pass through an X-ray machine.
On July 29, around 9:36 a.m., Robinson entered the 26th Street screening room. The findings were not typical.
According to police, the machine operator quickly noticed a black outline of a Taurus 9mm handgun loaded with 13 rounds in Robinson’s crotch area. The sheriff’s office recovered the weapon and sent the case to conveniently located prosecutors for approval of felony charges.
Those prosecutors approved three charges: possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID card, aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon. Robinson, who would have been immediately freed from detention under the SAFE-T Act based on the minor charges, was not so lucky when Judge John Hock learned of what happened at the courthouse entrance. Robinson is currently held pending trial.
The point that needs to be answered is, assuming Robinson had the firearm as claimed, where did he get it? Or did Chicago police officers fail to detect the handgun while searching him?
This is a serious question that requires serious responses. Only three months ago, another individual who managed to conceal a pistol on his body while being apprehended used it to shoot two police officers, killing one. Following the incident, the president of the union representing front-line Chicago cops stated that there was “a reluctance to be as aggressive or thorough as we have in the past with searches because of complaints.”
A spokeswoman for CPD stated that an internal investigation has been begun into the situation.
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