Man faces weapon charges after gun found in room at Trump Tower in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Ohio man was arrested on weapons charges Tuesday night at Trump International Hotel & Tower on the Chicago River, after he brought multiple guns into the hotel without a license.
Brandon Peck, 21, of Oakwood, Ohio, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was cited for possession of a firearm with a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets. Police said Peck did not have a Firearm Owner's Identification Card or concealed carry license.
Police said at 6:49 p.m., they were called to Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave., after an employee found a gun inside a room. A massive police response was seen at Trump Tower—with dozens of squad cars and an armored SWAT team car staged in front— as officers descended on the building.
Upon arrival, police took a man into custody without incident, police said.
Cook County prosecutors said in court that a Trump Tower employee notified the Secret Service about the gun. Heightened security was in place at Trump Tower at the time, prosecutors said, because former President Donald Trump is supposed to spend the night there on Thursday.
Secret Service agents recovered four firearms - two 10mm semiautomatic handguns in the room, a 6mm handgun in Peck's car, and a 9mm handgun in Peck's father's room.
Peck's attorney argued that, since he's from Ohio, he legally can't get his guns registered in Illinois.
"He legally owns firearms in the state of Ohio. In the state of Ohio, there is no requirement to have to have to register or have a license for your firearms," attorney Michael Cheronis said.
Cheronis said Peck was in town for his parents' medical appointment, and brought the guns to Chicago for protection, out of concern about violent crime in the city.
At Peck's detention hearing, a judge allowed him to go free and return home to Ohio while he awaits trial, but he must appear for all future court dates, and is barred from returning to Trump Tower while his case is pending.
Next week, Trump is expected to be in Chicago—speaking at The Economic Club of Chicago downtown. Trump usually stays at Chicago's Trump Tower, his property, when he is in the city.