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Three Arrested In Chicago On Federal Gun Charges In 'Operation Legend'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three men in Chicago face federal gun crime charges in conjunction with Operation Legend.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District Of Illinois, they are the first to be charged under the federal initiative.

President Donald Trump and other officials on Wednesday formally announced the deployment of "hundreds" of federal agents to fight crime in Chicago as part of Operation Legend.

Holloway gun, magazine, bullet
(Credit: Federal Court Records)

Darryl Collins, 30, of Dolton, is charged with one count of illegal possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Romeo Holloway, 21, of Chicago, is charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Collins and Holloway were previously convicted of criminal felonies and were not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition. Darryl Phillips, 22, of Chicago, is charged with one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.

The three are being held in federal custody.

Officials described Operation Legend as "a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime."

Phillips machinegun
(Credit: Federal Court Records)

Holloway was arrested Tuesday night by federal and local law enforcement officers for illegally possessing a loaded handgun in the 2700 block of West Flournoy Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. According to charges, the gun had ten rounds of live ammunition and had a bullet in the chamber.

Phillips was arrested Wednesday morning by federal and local law enforcement officers executing a court-authorized search warrant in the 2700 block of West Flournoy Street in East Garfield Park.  Officers discovered a semiautomatic handgun in a bedroom.

An ATF special agent reviewed the firearm and determined it was equipped with an auto-sear device, also known as a "switch," which transformed the firearm into a machine gun capable of automatically shooting more than one shot without manually reloading.

Phillips machinegun showing auto-sear device
(Credit: Federal Court Records)

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who earlier had threatened to go to court to block President Trump from deploying unnamed federal agents in Chicago without her permission, said she supports the expansion of Operation Legend, noting the additional agents coming to Chicago will be overseen by Lausch, a friend of Lightfoot's for more than 20 years.

Lightfoot herself is a former federal prosecutor.

 

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