A late-night traffic stop near South Washington Street and Aurora Avenue in Naperville ended with officers pulling a stolen, fully automatic handgun out of a glove box, according to police. The driver, identified by police as 22-year-old Emilio Leon of Romeoville, now faces a stack of felony and misdemeanor charges after what started as a routine stop turned into a weapons case with statewide implications.
According to a report from police cited by Positively Naperville, officers stopped Leon’s vehicle on Nov. 10 at approximately 11:15 p.m. and smelled cannabis during the stop, prompting a search of the car. Inside, officers reported finding a loaded firearm equipped with an extended magazine, a laser attachment and a modified conversion device that police say made the gun fully automatic. The Daily Herald, however, reported that Leon was arrested at 11:11 p.m. at the same intersection — a timing detail that conflicts with the roughly 11:15 p.m. stop time described in the police account.
Citing a prosecutor’s petition, the Daily Herald reported that officers found a loaded Glock 17 fitted with a modified conversion device, three loaded extended magazines and 25 grams of cannabis in the glove box. Police separately said officers located extra ammunition and unsealed cannabis elsewhere in the vehicle, per the Positively Naperville report.
Gun Had Been Reported Stolen Last Year
The weapon had been reported stolen in Will County in May 2025, according to the same Daily Herald report. Police said Leon did not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card or Concealed Carry License and that he is a convicted felon, meaning he was barred from legally possessing the firearm or ammunition at all.
Court records reviewed by the Daily Herald show Leon is charged with being a felon in possession of a machine gun, possession of a stolen firearm, and unlawful possession of a gun by a felon. Police separately listed nine additional misdemeanor and traffic offenses stemming from the stop, including possession of ammunition without a FOID card, cannabis possession, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to the Positively Naperville report.
Judge Orders Pretrial Detention
DuPage County Judge Todd Scalzo approved a request for Leon’s pretrial detention Wednesday, the Daily Herald reported, meaning Leon is being held as the case moves forward. WSPYnews reported that the charges followed directly from the machine gun and ammunition that officers say they found during the search of Leon’s vehicle.
Reports on the case differ slightly on how to spell the suspect’s first name — Positively Naperville and the Daily Herald both refer to him as Emilio Leon, while Patch spells it Emile Leon. Both outlets agree he is 22 and lives on the 400 block of North Maggie Lane in Romeoville.
As with all criminal cases, the charges against Leon are allegations, and he has not been proven guilty in court.
