Gun Drops From Woman's Waistband: Darien Cops

Darien IL

14 January, 2022

10:56 AM

Description

DARIEN, IL — An Aurora woman wanted nothing to do with Darien police, but she was unsuccessful, a police report indicates. Late the morning of Dec. 1, police stopped Demarius Valentine, 20, of Naperville, near Lemont Road and 75th Street after witnessing several traffic violations, according to a police report obtained through a public records request. Valentine complied with an officer's commands, but his passenger, Laisha Zabala, 19, of Aurora, was another story, police said. While an officer placed handcuffs on Valentine, Zabala moved to the driver's seat. The officer asked Zabala to step out of the car, but she refused and rolled up the driver's side window, according to the report. After several more attempts to get her to step out, she drove away, police said. Not long after, police got word of an accident at 75th Street and Fairview Avenue involving two cars. A woman, identified as Zabala, ran away, the report said. An officer caught up with her and took her into custody. A gun fell out of her waistband and onto the ground, police said. In an interview, Valentine said he had no knowledge of the gun being in the car. He said he did not own any guns and neither did Zabala, saying one of his friends may have left it in the car, police said. Charged with having no valid driver's license, Valentine was released on bond. Zabala declined to speak with police and requested a lawyer. She was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, disobeying a traffic control signal, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and resisting a police officer. She was taken to the DuPage County Jail.