Twisted Threes: Toddler Found Holding Gun During TraffIc Stop

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 5, 2012 9:45PM

From the "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child" file: a 19-year-old faces numerous charges after police found a three-year-old holding a loaded handgun during a routine traffic stop.

Police charged Queshawn King of the 3300 block of West Monroe with felony unlawful use of a weapon for having a loaded weapon inside the vehicle, misdemeanor endangering the life and health of a child, and misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card. Police stopped King's car because they noticed two children who weren't in car seats or wearing seat belts.

The officer approaching the vehicle noticed King making "furtive" motions to one of the children as he approached the vehicle. A police sergeant approaching the vehicle from the passenger side noticed the toddler with the gun in his hand and King repeating the kid's nickname, "Fatty," several times. When the sergeant tried to take the gun away from the three-year-old, the toddler tossed the loaded handgun to the floorboard. Luckily, it didn't discharge.

A judge set King's bail at $50,000. He is being held in Cook County Jail. The other passengers in the car all denied the gun belonged to them.