GRANITE CITY – A man from Granite City accused of being part of a “street gang” faces felony charges for possessing an illegally modified firearm.
Blake A. Giles Jr., 23, of Granite City, was charged on May 15, 2025, with unlawful possession of a firearm by a street gang member and unlawful use of weapons – machine gun, both Class 2 felonies.
Giles is accused of being “a member of a street gang” who unlawfully possessed a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun, which had been illegally modified with a switch to make the weapon fire automatically. He also reportedly had no valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card at the time of the offense.
According to a petition to deny Giles’s pretrial release from custody, the investigation began after Giles was seen armed with the weapon in a music video on YouTube.
“The Venice Police Department received an email directing them to a video posted on YouTube on March 16, 2025,” the petition states. “In the video, multiple clearly identifiable individuals are displaying firearms and rapping about drug dealing. They are located in front of the Bissell Apartments in Venice.”
Giles was identified as one of the individuals armed in the video, in which Giles allegedly “claims membership in the Gangster Disciples street gang.”
The petition notes Giles had previously been arrested in April after being seen “near another person openly carrying a rifle in the apartment complex.” Though he fled into a nearby unit, the resident allowed police to enter; Giles was found and interviewed, and reportedly admitted to the firearm’s authenticity.
Giles was then released pending charges before an active warrant for his arrest was executed on May 14, 2025. He was arrested and authorities conducted a search of his residence, finding the firearm from the video, which had been illegally modified.
The Illinois State Police presented the case against Giles, who currently remains in custody at the Madison County Jail.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
