2 teens in Joliet caught with 9 mm guns: cops

Two teens in Joliet were caught with loaded 9 mm handguns during a traffic stop, police said.

At 8:05 p.m. on Sunday, officers pulled over a Chevrolet Malibu driven by a 23-year-old woman near North Prairie and West Jefferson streets for a lane violation, said Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Officers identified both passengers in the vehicle as juveniles, he said. There was a 20-year-old passenger as well.

During the traffic stop, officers detected the odor of burnt marijuana and saw a clear plastic bag of marijuana inside the vehicle, English said.

The occupants of vehicle exited so police could search it.

Officers found a bag of what they suspected to be marijuana, along with a loaded 9 mm handgun on the vehicle floorboard where a 14-year-old male had just been seated, English said.

Following further search of the vehicle, officers found another loaded 9 mm handgun in the vehicle where a 15-year-old male had been seated, English said.

Both teens were arrested and the Chevrolet Malibu was towed from the scene.

The 14-year-old was arrested on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and marijuana possession. The 15-year-old was arrested on a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

The teens were taken to River Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Joliet after their arrest.

The 23-year-old driver of the Chevrolet Malibu appears to have not been cited, English said. The 20-year-old passenger was cited for failure to wear a seatbelt, he said.