Crime & Safety
High-Speed Chase Ends with Midland Avenue Crash
Driver of the second car is arrested for reckless driving and criminal damage to property, while the driver of the first car got away.
Gunshots followed by two cars chasing each other down a residential street at 70 mph early Thursday morning ended with a crash and Joliet police arresting a man for reckless driving.
The cars were traveling so fast that the police car that spotted them was still two to three blocks behind the second vehicle when the driver misjudged a turn and plowed into a wrought-iron-and-stone fence, Joliet Police Cmdr. Rich Demick said.
The vehicle's passenger, Israel Martinez, 28, 1116 Harvest Drive, Shorewood, gave up without a fight, but driver Jorge Rosas, 33, 105 Baker, Joliet, was still trying to get his SUV moving again when police apprehended him, Demick said.
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The incident began at about 3:30 a.m. when police heard gunshots in the area of Marion Street and Prairie Avenue, he said. Almost immediately after, they saw the two vehicles fly off Wheeler onto westbound Marion, apparently one in pursuit of the other, Demick said.
The two cars sped up Marion, blowing through four stops signs, until the reached the T-intersection of Marion and Midland Avenue. While the first car was able to negotiate the turn without a problem, Rosas' SUV ended up strking a fence at 100 S. Midland Ave., Demick said.
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Rosas told police he was following the car because the people inside had fired a gun at him and his passenger. However, neither he nor Martinez had a gun, making police question what they would have done were they able to stop the second car, Demick said. It's possible they may have had a weapon, but tossed it out the window before police caught up with them, he said.
In addition to reckless driving, Rosas was also charged with felony criminal damage to property because of the damage to the fence. Martinez was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear.
Martinez was released on $300 bond, but Rosas remained at the Will County jail Thursday night in lieu of $4,000 bond.
According to jail records, Rosas has been arrested previously on numerous charges, including domestic battery in August 2012 and November 2011 and aggravated battery and criminal damage to property in June 2011.
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