Tony Thompson : “Suburban Men Arrested for Gun Charges in Naperville”

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Naperville Police apprehended two individuals for unrelated offenses within minutes of each other on Thursday evening.

The first arrest involved 19-year-old Tony Thompson from Joliet, who was discovered in possession of a fully automatic firearm during a routine traffic stop at approximately 8:09 p.m.

Law enforcement officers pulled over a vehicle with expired license plates in the vicinity of Wendy’s. While conversing with the driver, an officer heard what appeared to be the sound of a handgun being cocked inside the vehicle.

Approaching the individual seated in the passenger side, later identified as Thompson, the officer called for backup. Upon arrival, Thompson was asked to exit the vehicle. A subsequent search of the car led to the discovery of a Glock 17 9 mm firearm equipped with a mechanism capable of converting it into a fully automatic weapon, concealed beneath Thompson’s seat.

Thompson faces charges including Possession of a Machine Gun, Possession of a Firearm without a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID), and Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

Tony Thompson (left) and Trensae Ware (right)

In a separate incident, 24-year-old Trensae Ware, a resident of Naperville, was arrested shortly before Thompson.

According to prosecutors, officers observed Ware driving erratically, heard a gunshot, and witnessed the vehicle swerving. Upon conducting a traffic stop, officers noticed that Ware was not wearing a seatbelt. Subsequent inspection of the vehicle revealed cannabis shake on the gearshift and an open bottle of tequila in the rear pocket of the passenger’s seat.

After instructing all occupants to exit the vehicle, officers discovered a spent shell casing on the driver’s seat as Ware alighted. Further search of the car unveiled a loaded .45 caliber firearm beneath the front passenger seat, with bullets matching the spent casing found earlier. Moreover, a bullet hole was spotted near where the driver’s left foot would have been situated, indicating an internal discharge.

Following gunshot residue testing on all occupants, only Ware tested positive on his hands. Additionally, a 9 mm handgun was recovered from the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Ware faces charges for Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon and Reckless Discharge of a Firearm.

Both individuals were refused pretrial release, with their next court appearance scheduled for arraignment on July 1, 2024.