Firearm becomes hot potato during late night Kansas City traffic stop

A convicted felon found himself on the losing end of a game of hot potato with a handgun during a traffic stop late Thursday, and that may land him back in prison.

Sylvester Cornelius, 35, of Kansas City, was charged Friday in U.S. District Court with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Cornelius has four prior felony convictions for drug trafficking.

Thursday evening at Gregory Boulevard and Troost Avenue, officers pulled over a northbound tan Chevrolet Malibu that was speeding while straddling two lanes. A front-seat passenger winked at an officer and pointed at Cornelius, who was driving, according to court records.

There were two other passengers in the back seat. The officers ordered them out of the car. A computer background check revealed that Cornelius had four Kansas City warrants and was driving with a suspended driver’s license.

Officers slapped the handcuffs on Cornelius. They also found a .40-caliber, Hi-Point handgun under the driver’s seat and an ammunition magazine nearby.

Cornelius later told investigators that the Malibu belonged to his girlfriend and the three passengers were his friends. When police pulled them over, a passenger in the back seat tried to pass the handgun off to the front-seat passenger, who refused to accept it.

The weapon became a “hot potato” and according to court records eventually ended up with Cornelius, who had taken it from someone in the back seat.

Cornelius then allegedly placed the weapon on the driver’s-side floorboard.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Firearm becomes hot potato during late night Kansas City traffic stop."