3 Arrested At Quinceañera Party After Cousin Attacked: Joliet PD

JOLIET, IL — Two people from Texas and one Naperville resident were arrested by Joliet police in connection with a fight at a family's Quinceanera party. Sunday's incident sent two people to the hospital, and Joliet police officers used a Taser to subdue one of the three people being arrested, authorities said.

Joliet police went to the house in the 3700 block of Thoroughbred Lane and arrested 24-year-old Julio Rodriguez, charging him with aggravated battery, two counts of domestic battery, battery and two counts of resisting a peace officer.

In addition to Rodriguez, a 46-year-old woman from Dallas was arrested and booked into the Will County Jail. Joliet police charged Maria Ovalle with two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and two counts of resisting arrest.

The third person arrested was 28-year-old Ivan Cruz of Naperville. He was charged with resisting a peace officer.

The incident on Thoroughbred Lane unfolded around 12:35 a.m., according to Joliet police.

"Officers determined that during a Quinceañera party, an intoxicated Rodriguez began repeatedly punching his male cousin in the face with a closed fist," Joliet police reports claim. "The wife of the adult victim attempted to intervene in the fight at which time Rodriguez then punched her in the face as well, and she was knocked to the ground."

When Joliet police went to the house, officers tried to speak with Rodriguez, but his cousin "Cruz stood in front of the door and refused to allow officers to enter the bedroom despite numerous orders to move to the side by officers," police spokesman Dwayne English said.

Eventually, Joliet police got into the bedroom and saw Rodriguez sitting on a bed and Ovalle had her arms wrapped around him, according to police. Both were told to stand up, but they refused to do so, police said.

As for Cruz, he tried once again to block officers from arresting Rodriguez; as the night went on, Cruz would be placed into custody, police said.

During the domestic disturbance, Ovalle began to punch one of the Joliet officers in the chest, and then she kicked the officer and a second officer in the legs as she was seated on the bed, police said.

As for Rodriguez, according to police, he kept pulling his hands away from police and struggling with them as they tried to put him in handcuffs. "[O]fficers then deployed a taser upon Rodriguez, and he was taken into custody without further incident," police said.

Two people were taken to the AMITA Health St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment of injuries from the incident, according to police.

Ovalle was freed from the Will County Jail on Sunday night after posting 10 percent of her $10,000 bail. Cruz was freed on a Joliet police I-bond.

Julio Rodriguez was also released from county detention after posting 10 percent of his $5,000 bail, jail logs show.