A Chicago-area man was nailed by a federal jury for wielding a fully automatic Glock machine gun, officials said. Kevin Dixon, 27, of Midlothian, could face up to 20 years in the slammer on counts of illegal machine gun possession and as a formerly convicted felon holding a firearm, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall decreed. The verdict came down on April 19, with sentencing slated for September 10, the Department of Justice said.
On June 6, 2021, Dixon was busted with the tricked-out handgun, which had a "switch" device, allowing it to blast in fully automatic mode—after a spree of chaos on Lansing's streets, that included ramming into another car, firing shots following a car chase, and ultimately crashing again. Post-collision, the gunman hightailed it on foot but didn't get far before law enforcement snagged him.
Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, with top brass from the ATF and Lansing Police, spearheaded the announcement of Dixon's conviction. The trial, lasting a full week, revealed a reckless disregard for public safety, a disregard that luckily, did not end in tragedy thanks in part to the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, including state police, and the corrections department.
Putting a stop to violent crimewave, like the one Dixon rode is a priority under the DOJ's Project Safe Neighborhoods. The program targets a gamut of violent crimes, with a keen eye on illegal firearms. Dixon's case is a textbook example of the feds taking aim at gun-toting felons, attempting to clamp down on the violent crime surge that's been riddling the City.
