Youth Guilty In Assault Of Westmont Cop: Prosecutors

WESTMONT, IL – A youth was found guilty Tuesday in DuPage County Court of assaulting a police officer and breaking into a Westmont car dealership, prosecutors said.

The youth, who lives in Cook County, was one of four people charged in the case.

About 4:30 a.m. Dec. 31, Westmont police were called to Laurel BMW, 430 E. Ogden Ave., for a burglary. Police said the youth and Angel Martin, 24, of Dolton, tried to use a pry bar to get into the building before throwing a landscaping rock through the garage's bay door.

The youth and Martin were accused of crawling through the broken window to enter the dealership.

When police arrived, the youth and Martin left the building and got into a white Acura occupied by 19-year-old Chicago residents Semaje Wheeler and Brian Garrett, prosecutors said.

Police said they blocked the Acura's exit, got out of their squad car and drew their weapons, ordering the suspects to get out of the Acura.

The driver of the Acura was accused of "driving directly at one of the uniformed officers," prosecutors said. The officer fired at the car, hitting the driver in the chest and grazing Martin, police said.

The car then fled on Ogden Avenue to northbound Route 83 before crashing into a ditch near 22nd Street in Oak Brook. Police said Martin, Wheeler, Garrett and the youth got out of the car and ran away before officers caught them. The youth was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police said they searched the Acura and found a Glock 23 40-caliber with an extended magazine, a Poly 80 gun with a round in the chamber and a Glock 17 9mm with a fully loaded 24-round magazine.

According to prosecutors, officers also found a 50-drum magazine that was "nearly full," two pry bars and 28 key fobs inside the car, along with a Glock 19 with an extended magazine outside the car.

"The fact that the defendant is a juvenile will not deter law enforcement from protecting the public and will not deter my office from aggressively prosecuting anyone accused of such violent behavior," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

The youth has remained in custody since the time of his arrest.