Aurora man convicted of gun crimes

An Aurora street gang member who fled from police with a gun last September has been convicted of unlawfully possessing a loaded handgun, Kane County officials said.

London Gray, 30, was convicted Wednesday for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member and unlawful possession of a defaced firearm, the Kane County state's attorney said in a news release.

Gray was a back-seat passenger in a black 2012 Dodge Avenger at 11 p.m. Sept. 4, 2015, when Aurora police attempted to stop the vehicle for a traffic violation near Hill Avenue and North Ohio Street, prosecutors said.

The car stopped in a parking lot of a nearby business, and Gray and another passenger, Michael A. Morales, 27, of Aurora, both fled the vehicle on foot. Gray was seen running from the car holding his front pants pocket, prosecutors said. Police captured Gray two blocks away and found a 9 mm handgun behind a trash can between the area of the traffic stop and his arrest, prosecutors said.

Gray was a known member of a street gang and had a 2005 conviction in Kane County for a 2004 felony home invasion. He remains in jail on $125,000 bail and appears in court at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 8 for sentencing.

Morales was sentenced in January to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member and an unrelated felony charge of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon.