A Chicago man has been charged after online threats against police reportedly led authorities to search a suburban home, where they found a makeshift gun range and several rounds of ammunition.
Aries Woodfin, a 33-year-old convicted felon, was charged with weapons possession, assault, having a firearm without a valid permit and disorderly conduct, a local ABC affiliate reported. He was denied bond and remains in Cook County Jail.
Police were alerted of Mr. Woodfin, who is black, after he posted a Dec. 8 Facebook message that said he was “going to kill cops and innocent white kids,” the ABC affiliate reported.
Mr. Woodfin was arrested Friday after police carried out a search warrant at a Ford Heights home where he was thought to have lived. When he was arrested, he allegedly told officers he was a “warrior” and the “streets would run red with blood,” a police source told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Prosecutors said police found a .45-caliber pistol with several rounds of ammunition and a makeshift shooting range in the basement of the home where Mr. Woodfin was arrested, the ABC affiliate reported.
Beatrice Franklin, who owns the home, said Mr. Woodfin stays there occasionally but does not live there. She told the news station that the gun belongs to her and that Mr. Woodfin’s Facebook post was simply an expression of anger, not a real threat.
“That gun that they found belonged to me,” Ms. Franklin told the station. “I am a licensed FOID cardholder, and I have paperwork stating that it’s mine. So no, it’s not his.”
Mr. Woodfin was previously given probation in a 2000 sentencing for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and illegal gun possession, the station reported.
His next court date is in January.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.