CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Two people are facing weapons charges in Champaign County after they were found illegally possessing weapons as police broke up what they said was a large gathering on private property.
Officials with the Champaign Police Department said officers were dispatched twice to the area of Mattis and University Avenues on consecutive mornings — 2 a.m. on July 20 and 3:30 a.m. on July 21 — for reports of large gatherings. Multiple cars were parked on private property with the drivers and passengers being disruptive to the area. Disruptions included loud music and open alcohol, along with blocking customer access to businesses.
As officers were breaking up the gathering on July 21, officials said officers spotted a car leaving and conducted a traffic stop. A search of the vehicle found two guns that the people inside the car were unlawfully in possession of.
They’ve been identified as 28-year-olds Demetrius Lane and Javon Jones. Both were arrested and booked into the Champaign County Jail on charges of being an armed habitual criminal and being a felon in possession of a gun, respectively.
Regarding the frequent large gatherings in business parking lots, the Champaign Police Department said:
Champaign Police regularly work with local businesses to ensure that parking lots are secured to prevent these concerns and that incidents such as these are reported quickly so that officers can respond and address the disorderly conduct of participants. There is no known pattern as to where these spontaneous gatherings will occur or how many individuals will participate on a given night. As calls for service allow, officers work proactively to identify and address these gatherings when they are small, along with seeking to address order maintenance concerns related to noise, litter, and public intoxication. Because they often take place on private property, coordination with businesses and property owners is essential to ensuring the ability of police to address the behavior.
Kevin Olmstead, Deputy Chief of Operations
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