Man claims police tried to make deal - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Police have cut deals with gang bangers and criminals to get illegal guns off the street before, but Michael Holton says he's neither of those--yet the Evergreen Park police tried to force him to find a weapon he doesn't have.

He insists there's nothing in his background that would lead police to believe he had access to a gun whatsoever.

Michael Holton is a father of four who sells insurance for a living. On Tuesday, he was driving eastbound on 87th Street in Evergreen Park, when police pulled him over for a broken light. They found he was driving on a suspended license, so they had his car impounded and took him to the Evergreen Park police station. That's where Holton says the officers proposed a curious deal.

"The officer proceeded to tell me if I could produce a gun or see to it that they got a gun I could have my car back and be released," Holton says. "I looked at him like he was crazy because, where am I supposed to get a gun from?"

Holton says the officers wrote their names on this piece of paper along with the number of the police station, and told him to call them after he dropped a gun in a dumpster just over the border in Chicago.

"I don't use guns. I don't like guns. I don't own one," Holton explains. "He proceeded at that point like, ‘look you can make a phone call, call a family member or a friend, see if somebody could get a gun. That way, I can come back to my chief and tell him we took a gun off the street and you helped us out.'"

Evergreen Park police deny the story. They say it was Holton who tried to cut a deal after getting arrested: "he asked if he offered any information or assistance to the officers could he get some help on the ticket."

Holton was released on a signature bond. He says he called us because he's furious police assumed he's a criminal.

"I'm a father. I have four children and yes I want to see guns taken off the street," Holton says. "If that's their form of community policing, they need to find another method."

Evergreen Park police say they won't launch an investigation until Holton makes a formal complaint. Holton says he plans to do that and hire a lawyer.