Police Intercept 2 Suspects Bringing Hundreds of Guns to Sell in Chicago, But 1 Flees

$5,000 REWARD

Nashville News Channel 5: Federal authorities say about 400 guns have been stolen from a United Parcel Service facility in Tennessee.

One male suspect is in custody, but another male, who was previously released on bond in May 2018 and defeated his electronic surveillance, was able to flee police the morning of Sunday September 30, 2018 when the two male suspects were caught allegedly planning to sell hundreds of guns in Chicago later that Sunday afternoon. The male suspect at large was supposed to be monitored electronically by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, but apparently removed the electronic device from his body.

The ATF reports the two male suspects stole 16 pallets of guns from a UPS facility in Memphis, Tennessee this weekend. The guns were originally from gun manufacturer Ruger in Mayodan, North Carolina. The next leg of the legal transport of the guns was in progress from Memphis to Dallas on a semi-truck.

According to federal investigators with the ATF, Traveyan Turnbo, 18, and Roland Jackson, 24, drove up to the Memphis UPS facility with a U-Haul truck very early Sunday morning, and allegedly retrieved about 400 stolen guns. They were allegedly heading back to Chicago to sell them on the streets.

Later Sunday morning, they were stopped by Midlothian police, who thought the two were dealing drugs. However, the two male suspects were actually transporting hundreds of stolen firearms. The travel time from Memphis to Midlothian is about 7 hours.

Court records show Roland Jackson has been out on bond since May 2018 for felony retail theft charges. Jackson was designated to be on electronic home monitoring, but the Cook County Sheriff says he had been missing without a trace since Thursday September 27, 2018. Police were already looking for him before the gun discovery in Midlothian. During the stop by police on Sunday, he ran from Midlothian police and is still at large.

Jackson’s accomplice, Traveyan Turnbo was apprehended. Turnbo claimed he didn’t help steal the guns, but said he was going to help Jackson and Turnbo’s brother sell the guns.

Turnbo appeared Tuesday afternoon, October 2, 2018 in federal court. Turnbo told police that he and Jackson had already sold three of the guns for $400 before getting caught by Midlothian police. Prosecutors said he is a danger to community and that they don’t want him released. Turnbo, a senior at John Marshall High School in Chicago, will be scheduled for a detention hearing later this week.

The electronic monitoring system alerts law enforcement when someone travels outside the allowed range — usually their house. Alerts do not show that the device was cut off, but that doesn’t mean he Jackson didn’t find a way to get it off his person.

The Cook County Sheriff’s office said they don’t know how many people right now are AWOL from the electronic monitoring system, but it’s a very small percentage.

The ATF, Cook County Sheriff’s police and local police are looking for Jackson. Jackson’s case has been assigned to the fugitive apprehension unit. There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

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