Police find loaded handguns during traffic stops, 2 face charges

MADISON, Wis. — Two Madison men face gun charges after police found two loaded handguns Thursday night in separate traffic stops, according to a release.

Madison officers worked with the police department’s gang unit and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force to arrest the two armed men.

Keonte J. McClain, 22, was taken into custody on a tentative charge of carrying a concealed weapon after a car he was traveling in was stopped in the 2900 block of Hoard Street around 3:10 p.m., officials said. McClain had a loaded 9mm handgun.

Deonte C. Thompson, 26, was also arrested on a tentative charge of carrying a concealed weapon after a traffic stop in the 700 block of Pinecrest Drive around 10:20 p.m., police said. A loaded 9mm handgun was recovered.

Another person in the car with Thompson, 19-yaer-old Dajuea M. Purnell, was arrested for allegedly stealing a Sauk City woman’s purse at West Towne Mall Aug. 24, according to the release.

There were a total of eight people in the two vehicles that were stopped. Police said all of the young men have ties to local gangs.

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