Evanston Police Department officers arrested three people the evening of April 9 in connection with possession of firearms following a traffic stop.

Officers on patrol near the corner of Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue stopped a car traveling south on Dodge after observing that the vehicle was in violation of window tinting laws, according to an EPD news release. When an officer spoke to the driver, a 19-year-old Norridge, Illinois resident, he detected the odor of cannabis.

After additional officers had arrived, the driver and the vehicle’s five other occupants were instructed to exit the car. Officers then conducted a search of the vehicle and found a purse containing a .380 Taurus handgun with the serial number removed as well as 2.4 grams of Xanax; a second 9mm Taurus handgun; ammunition of an unspecified caliber; drug paraphernalia; and a small amount of cannabis, according to the news release.

All occupants of the vehicle were brought to the station for further investigation. The driver was charged with a misdemeanor count for possession of ammunition without a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and received a citation for the tinted windows.

Another occupant of the vehicle, an 18-year-old Chicago resident, admitted she was the owner of the purse and its contents. She was charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance.

A third passenger, a 19-year-old Evanston resident, received two felony counts for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon after admitting that the second gun belonged to him. A fourth occupant of the vehicle received a citation for possession of cannabis; the other two passengers were not charged.

The three people charged have a court date set for May 2.

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