Two Charged After Chasing Man With Bat, Firing Gun: Lockport Cops

LOCKPORT, IL — Two men have been charged after one chased a man with a bat and the other fired a shot into the ground in Lockport on Friday, police said. Ethan Maurella, 21, of the 14000 block of Chicory Trail in Homer Glen; and Ryan Barrett, 21, of the 16600 block of West Karen Springs Drive in Lockport, are both facing charges after the incident.

Officers responded at 3:11 a.m. Friday for a report of a man who had been shot at following a disturbance in the 2000 block of Lawrence Avenue, police said. When officers arrived, they spoke to a 21-year-old man who said he had been involved in a fight with two other men who he knew.

The man said the incident stemmed from an argument over his dating relationship with an uninvolved woman, police said. The two men, Maurella and Barrett, found the man in a parking lot off of Lawrence Avenue.

Police said Maurella and Barrett exited the car and briefly verbally argued with the man, before Maurella tried to strike the man with a bat. As Maurella was chasing the man, Barrett pointed a handgun in the man's direction and fired a single shot into the ground. The three all then fled the scene.

According to police, officers found a car matching the description provided by the man. Maurella and Barrett were both taken into custody without incident. A handgun and a bat were recovered.

Maurella has been charged with aggravated assault and was released. Barrett was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm. He was taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility and is awaiting a bond hearing.