Rosemary Sobol, Chicago Tribune –
A parolee who was sporting 2012 glasses with flashing blue lights was arrested after police saw him fire a pistol into the air minutes into the New Year Sunday on the West Side, police said.
Elbert Brown Jr., 38, of the 4500 block of South Lavergne Avenue, was arrested at 12:12 a.m. Sunday and charged with being an armed habitual criminal, police said. Brown was also served with a warrant for violating his parole.
Judge Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil ordered Brown held on $125,000 bail today, according to a Cook County Criminal Court clerk. Brown is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 9, the clerk said.
When Brown pointed the pistol upwards towards the sky and discharged three rounds, officers approached him with their guns drawn, told Brown they were police officers, and ordered him to drop the weapon, the report said.
He complied and was taken into custody without further incident. A .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a 4-inch barrel — and the glasses — were recovered by police.
Court records show Brown was paroled in April, 2011, for an involuntary manslaughter case for which he was sentenced to ten years in prison. He also has felony convictions for weapons and drug charges and an attempted armed robbery, court records show.
