Jacob Blake's Uncle Charged With Gun Crimes After Evanston Arrest

Evanston IL

16 November, 2021

7:24 PM

Description

EVANSTON, IL — The uncle of the man whose police shooting last year triggered days of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been charged with gun crimes and traffic offenses following a traffic stop Saturday in Evanston. Justin Blake, 52, of Chicago, was pulled over shortly after 3 p.m. after an officer in an unmarked car clocked him going 46 mph in a 30 mph zone headed south on Sheridan Road, according to a police report. Police said Blake's license had been suspended since Oct. 16 and that a warrant for his arrest had been issued in September 2019 in connection with his failure to appear in court to face charges of driving with a suspended license in southwest suburban Worth. A search of Blake's car turned up a backpack containing a loaded IWI Baby Desert Eagle .40 caliber pistol, an additional magazine with four more rounds and various pieces of Blake's property, police reported. Officers also reported finding a three-quarters empty bottle of gin in the passenger size floorboard. According to police, Blake does not have a firearm owners identification card or concealed carry weapon to allow him to legally drive around with a loaded handgun. Police said Blake initially agreed to waive his constitutional right against self-incrimination, but when he was asked if the backpack was his, he decided to talk to an attorney instead. Prosecutors approved a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and Blake was also charged with misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of a firearm without a FOID and unlawful possession of ammunition without a FOID. Justin S. Blake, 52, of Chicago, faces a felony firearm charge following his arrest Saturday afternoon in Evanston. He is the uncle of Evanston native Jacob Blake, who was shot and paralyzed by a Kenosha police officer last year. (Evanston P.D.) Blake was also issued citations for speeding, expired vehicle registration, driving with a suspended license, no proof of insurance and illegal transportation of an open container of alcohol by a driver, according to police reports. Blake's arrest came the same day as he participated in Evanston march in memory of Ryan Bost, a former Evanston Township High School basketball star and relative of the Blake family. Bost was fatally shot Nov. 9, 2020, in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. More than a year later, no one has been charged in connection with his killing. Blake came to national prominence following the August 2020 shooting of his nephew Jacob Blake, who is Black, by white Kenosha police officer Ruston Sheskey. Evanston Patch requested comment from him Tuesday, any response received will be added here. A Kenosha County jury is set for a second day of deliberation Wednesday in the trial of Lake County teen Kyle Rittenhouse, who faces homicide charges after shooting three demonstrators, two fatally, who had taken to the streets of Kenosha to protest Jacob Blake's shooting. Related: Rittenhouse Trial: Jurors Drawn From Lottery Before DeliberationNo Federal Charges For Cop Who Shot Evanston Native Jacob BlakeDemonstrators Gather In Evanston In Support Of Jacob Blake