4 Guns Recovered, 5 Teens Captured On Joliet's Southeast Side: Cops

JOLIET, IL — Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English issued a news release Thursday announcing that four young men and a teenager were arrested Wednesday night on numerous weapons charges.

The arrestees are: Zyshonne Harris, 18, of Joliet on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, defacing identification mark of firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, No FOID, and obstructing a peace officer.

Javiere Baker, also 18 of Joliet, on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of stolen firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, No FOID, and obstructing a peace officer.

A 16-year-old boy who was taken to the River Valley Justice Center on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of ammunition, No FOID and obstructing a peace officer.

Damarco Whitaker, 19 of Plainfield, released on an I-bond on charges of obstructing/resisting a police officer.

Marquise Smith, 18 of Joliet, released on an I-Bond on charges of obstructing/Resisting a Peace Officer.

According to the Joliet police spokesman, this is the arrests were made:

At 7:40 p.m., Joliet patrol officers spotted five teens outside the convenience store at 48 McDonough St., and they all wore ski masks and dark clothes.

Everyone ran off when the police pulled into the parking lot, and some of the suspects held their waistbands.

An officer gave chase and saw one of the suspects threw a gun near a fence in the 400 block of South Ottawa Street. It was the 16-year-old, and he was later found hiding in the 400 block of Joliet Street, police said. The 9 mm handgun turned out to be loaded.

As more Joliet police got to the scene, establishing a perimeter, a second teen, Zyshonne Harris, ran through an alley in the 300 block of South Des Plaines Street. When Harris tripped, he dropped his gun. Harris was arrested at that point, and officers recovered his gun, which turned out to have a defaced serial number, according to police.

Over in the 300 block of South Joliet, Javiere Baker was captured, and Baker's stolen gun was found nearby, police said. Baker told officers he dropped the gun while running away from them.

As for Damarco Whitaker, officers captured him in the 400 block of South Joliet Street.

The fifth and final suspect was found hiding in the bed of a pickup truck in the 400 block of South Des Plaines. It was Marquise Smith.

"During further search of the area, officers recovered a fourth loaded 9 mm handgun in the 400 block of South Joliet Street. Ownership of this weapon is still under investigation," English announced.

Whitaker is in Joliet, with a Plainfield mailing address, in the 2600 block of Ruth Fitzgerald Drive.

Smith is from the 1300 block of Chippewa Street, which is off Mills Road. Harris lives in the 100 block of Fifth Avenue. Baker comes from the 900 block of Lois Place. As for the juvenile, Joliet police do not release the identities and addresses for minors.

Back in March, Joliet Patch published a crime story about Whitaker that was headlined: Murphy's Express Shooting: Whitaker Captured 4 Months Later