3 armed men arrested along CTA Red Line in less than an hour

CHICAGO - Three men were arrested on weapons charges within a single hour along the CTA Red Line after deputies stopped them for minor rule violations and discovered loaded guns.

Cook County Sheriff's Police officers conducted the three separate stops during the afternoon of Nov. 2 at stations across the city's South Side.

CTA Red Line arrests

The backstory:

All three arrests occurred in rapid succession along the Red Line:

• 69th Street station (4:20 p.m.): Officers took 42-year-old Joseph Tillman into custody on the platform for disorderly conduct after he played a portable speaker. A search revealed suspected crack cocaine and a loaded gun. Tillman was charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
• 95th Street station (4:55 p.m.): About half an hour later, deputies stopped 25-year-old Brandon Brown for smoking a cigarette on the platform. During a search, officers recovered a loaded firearm, suspected Ecstasy, and brass knuckles. Police said Brown did not have a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card. He was charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and disorderly conduct.
• 79th Street station (5:25 p.m.): Around 30 minutes after Brown's arrest, officers spotted 32-year-old George Sales smoking a cigarette near the entrance of the station. Deputies arrested him for disorderly conduct and discovered a loaded gun during a search. Investigators found Sales had a revoked FOID card. He was charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm and disorderly conduct.

Timeline:

• Nov. 2, 4:20 p.m.: Joseph Tillman arrested at the 69th Street Red Line platform.
• Nov. 2, 4:55 p.m.: Brandon Brown arrested at the 95th Street Red Line station.
• Nov. 2, 5:25 p.m.: George Sales arrested at the 79th Street Red Line station entrance.
• Nov. 3: Tillman and Sales appear at court where a judge orders both held in Cook County Jail.
• Nov. 4: Brown appears for his first court hearing and is ordered released from custody pending trial.

What's next:

Tillman and Sales remain in custody at the Cook County Jail. Tillman's next court appearance is set for Nov. 20, while Sales has a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 24.

Brown is due back in court for future pretrial hearings while remaining out of custody.