A brief evening stop in Aurora on May 14 turned into a fast-moving foot chase, and police say it ended with two teenagers in custody and two loaded Glocks off the street, including one fitted with an illegal machine-gun conversion "switch." Officers identified the 18-year-old suspect as Johnathan Rios and said they also seized a box holding about 50 rounds. The 15-year-old, whose name is being withheld because of his age, was arrested after officers reported finding a loaded handgun tucked in his waistband.
How police say the stop unfolded
Investigators say members of the Aurora Police Department tried to stop Rios and the 15-year-old near East Avenue and Fulton Street at about 8:30 p.m. on May 14. According to police, both teens ran after officers announced themselves.
After a short pursuit through nearby yards, officers arrested the juvenile. While taking Rios into custody, police say they found two discarded firearms near a fence line, both of them loaded. These details, along with the list of charges, were reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Charges and the chief's statement
Authorities say Rios was charged with multiple weapons offenses, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a machine-gun count that is classified as a Class X felony under Illinois law, along with additional aggravated unlawful use counts. The 15-year-old faces several felony counts tied to unlawful use of a weapon, according to police.
"The proactive work by our Special Operations Group investigators directly led to the recovery of multiple illegal firearms from our streets," Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas said in a statement.
In Illinois, a Class X felony typically carries a sentence of six to 30 years, which places the machine-gun allegation among the most serious non-capital offenses under the state sentencing law. That framework is outlined in the Illinois Compiled Statutes, and the charge details were reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Why switches escalate risk
Police say one of the recovered handguns had a small conversion device attached, often called a "Glock switch" or auto-sear, a part that can allow a semi-automatic pistol to fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. Federal prosecutors and ATF officials have warned that these conversion devices are illegal and particularly dangerous because they sharply increase a weapon's rate of fire.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago explains how these conversion devices operate and highlights federal enforcement actions against people who possess or traffic them, which helps explain why Aurora investigators treated the recovery as a significant public safety win. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.
A pattern of teens carrying guns
The arrests landed in the middle of what police describe as a concerning pattern in Aurora, where recent incidents have increasingly involved teens and firearms. In April, the Daily Herald reported a separate case in which investigators chased a 16-year-old through neighborhood streets and recovered a loaded handgun.
Taken together, these cases reflect an ongoing focus by Aurora investigators on youth gun possession and neighborhood safety.
What happens next
Both suspects were arrested and face felony weapons charges, and the juvenile's name remains withheld under standard procedures. Prosecutors will decide how to move forward with the charges in the coming days as the case proceeds through the local court system and investigators continue to review the recovered evidence.
