Gunshots On Larkin, House Hit By Bullets, Man Arrested

JOLIET, IL — Thursday's Joliet Police Department initiative called Operation New Year's Resolution resulted in 10 arrests, including one from a high-profile daytime shooting along busy Larkin Avenue from more than three weeks ago.

At 12:08 p.m. Romeo Nance, 22, got booked into the Will County Jail. Over the course of several minutes, back on Jan. 3, Nance tried multiple times to shoot a woman, who was driving, according to police reports.

On Thursday, Nance put up a struggle when Joliet officers caught him by the element of surprise, taking him into custody, according to a Joliet police news release.

Now, Nance is facing charges of aggravated discharge of a weapon, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault, reckless discharge of a firearm and obstructing a peace officer.

Nance's bail is set at $100,000. He lives in the 2200 block of Joliet's West Acres Road. During Thursday's Joliet police surveillance initiative, officers spotted Nance around 10:45 a.m. getting into a vehicle in the same block where he lives.

"Upon search of the vehicle, officers recovered a loaded .380 handgun," Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English announced Thursday night.

According to English, the following events happened on the morning of Jan. 3:

Around 9:10 a.m., police were called to a west side neighborhood near Brentwood Place and Westfield Road for a report of gunshots fired.

A 36-year-old woman had been driving southbound on North Larkin Avenue from Route 30 when a black 4-door sedan vehicle began honking while he was behind her.

The gunman then pulled up to the victim in the 1300 block of North Larkin Avenue and threw a water bottle at her.

The victim called 911 and both vehicles proceeded westbound on Ingalls Avenue, at which time the suspect pointed a gun back toward her, and he began firing multiple rounds.

The vehicles continued through a nearby neighborhood, ending in the area of Ingalls Avenue and Brentwood Place, where the motorist fired more rounds at the victim and then sped southbound on Brentwood Place. The woman's car and a residence in the 1300 block of Brentwood Place were struck by gunfire.

No injuries were reported, and detectives identified Romeo Nance as their suspect.

This Tuesday, detectives got an arrest warrant for Nance, and he was placed into custody following a brief struggle with officers.

To read Joliet Patch's story about all 10 of the criminal defendants who got arrested Thursday as part of the Operation New Year's Resolution initiative, go here.