CHICAGO — A man was arrested this weekend after officers found him with an AK-47 strapped to his chest on a Lakeview CTA platform, police said.
At 6:23 a.m. Saturday, officers were called to the Belmont CTA platform, 945 W. Belmont Ave., for a report of a person with a gun. Police found Jordan Watkins carrying an AK-47, according to a Chicago Police news release.
Watkins had been trying to hide the rifle with a gray hooded sweatshirt, prosecutors said, according to the Tribune.
Watkins, 29, of the 4600 block of West Adams Street, was charged with unlawful use of of a weapon by a parolee and armed habitual criminal issuance of warrant, police said. His bail was set at $150,000, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
Watkins was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia when he was a child and needs medical care, family members told the Tribune. Watkins' mother said he might have been carrying the gun in self-defense after he was shot last month.
Watkins was released on parole in August after spending three years in prison as part of an armed robbery.
