By Micahel Lansu and Leeann Shelton
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — A man was hospitalized for medical evaluation after walking into a West Side police station on Thanksgiving — armed with a fully-loaded rifle and declaring martial law.
The man entered the Harrison District police station at 3151 W. Harrison around 4 a.m., carrying an AR-15 assault rifle and a loaded 30-round magazine, police said. Police said the man told them he was declaring martial law, but he did not point the gun at anybody or fire it.
Officers immediately tried to calm the 28-year-old man and were able to disarm him without a struggle and defuse the rifle, police said.
Police said the rifle was in full view, and the man made no effort to conceal it when he walked into the station. The man, who “appeared to be a bit unstable,” told officers he found the rifle a few days ago after seeing someone throw it over a fence, police said.
Police called the man’s family, who had him signed into Stroger Hospital for evaluation, police said.
The man will not be charged with anything, police said.
Copyright 2011 Chicago Sun-Times