Burglaries At 2 Joliet Auto Businesses, Shots Fired, Teen Arrested

JOLIET, IL — Joliet police arrested a 17-year-old boy with a loaded gun on Tuesday in connection with two automotive business burglaries and two shooting incidents from early February. Nobody was injured by any of the gunfire.

The boy is now staying at the River Valley Justice Center on McDonough Street where he's being charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, reckless discharge, aggravated discharge, criminal damage to property and burglary related to the following crimes.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, the teenager committed the following crimes:

• At 1:30 p.m. Feb. 5, the Joliet Auto Center at 101 East Jackson St. notified Joliet police that their business was the victim of an overnight burglary. Police found forced entry and the burglar also fired his gun inside the business while nobody else was inside.
• About six hours later, on Feb. 5, Joliet police responded to a gunshots incident in the 100 block of Clinton Street, which is right by Joliet Fire Station 1. The shooter was seen running away from the area.

• Around 9 a.m. Feb. 7, R & R Automotive, at 115 E. Clinton St., which is next to Joliet Fire Station 1, notified police their business had an overnight burglary. The criminal broke a window to enter the business and stole electronics and cash.
• A month later, at 5:30 p.m. this past Tuesday, Joliet police detectives located their prime suspect for all three crimes. Detectives saw the 17-year-old boy tucking an object into his waist band, and later arrested him without any problems.
• Detectives recovered a loaded handgun from the boy; he's now being held at River Valley.