Paroled Illinois man found working as an armed security guard after serving murder sentence
Chicago IL Dec 2, 2022
A 42-year-old Chicago man who was employed through a third party as a security guard at Jimmy Jazz at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, faces a felony weapons charge because he was armed with a loaded pistol without possessing either a Firearm Owner ID or concealed carry license while also being on parole as a convicted felon.
North Riverside police responded to the clothing store Jimmy Jazz on Nov. 25 at 3:18 p.m. after a mall security supervisor called to report an unfamiliar security guard with a gun visibly tucked into his waistband inside the store.
Police confirmed the man, identified as Tony Echoles, was employed by a third-party security firm, but a supervisor there reportedly said Echoles was not authorized to be armed.
Echoles reportedly also did not possess the state certification needed to work as a security guard and learned that as of Aug. 2 he was on supervised release for a prior felony conviction.
That prior conviction, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections’ website, which spells the man’s last name “Echols,” was for murder in 2005. At that time, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was set to be paroled from Pinckneyville Correctional Center on Aug. 1, 2022. He had been in custody since his arrest in 2002.
In 1998, Echoles was convicted of possessing a stolen motor vehicle and received a five-year sentence.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charging Echoles with felony unlawful use of a weapon and the Illinois Department of Corrections issued a parole warrant for his arrest.
According to the police report, Echoles admitted his employer didn’t know he was armed and that the pistol belonged to his wife, who was unaware he took it to work.
