'He Was Not At The Shooting' Joliet's Repeat Criminal Defendant Tells Joliet Police Detectives: Prosecutor

JOLIET, IL — Downtown Joliet criminal defense attorney Chuck Bretz continues to generate more business for his law firm from Joliet shooting defendant Angel Vargas. The 25-year-old was arrested last weekend by Joliet police in connection with a recent drive-by shooting that sprayed an east side house with bullets while two young women and one small child were inside, prosecutors indicated.

With his long-time client back in the Will County jail, Bretz entered his formal appearance this week, notifying Will County's judiciary that he is representing Vargas for his latest set of criminal charges.

"The defendant has five pending felonies in addition to pending violent misdemeanor offenses," one of Will County's top prosecutors, Tricia McKenna, argued in her petition to deny pretrial release for Vargas, who comes from the 700 block of Garnsey Avenue. "The misdemeanor offenses involve domestic battery and a violation of an order of protection and child endangerment."

"With regard to his pending felonies, the defendant was charged with committing an aggravated battery to a police officer on June 10, 2022. The defendant was then charged with committing an attempted first-degree murder of his father, John Hernandez, as well as an aggravated battery with a firearm, on June 14, 2022. In that matter, the defendant and his brother are alleged to have ambushed their father, both shooting firearms, and struck their father's girlfriend, causing injuries," McKenna said. "The defendant was released on bond in that matter on July 13, 2022."

After Vargas regained his freedom under the state's now-abolished cash bail system, Vargas, his brother and another person were charged with burglary and aggravated battery on Aug. 6, 2022, prosecutors noted in this week's filing.

"This case involves his participation in battering individuals while stealing liquor from a store on Jefferson Street in Joliet. The defendant posted bond in this matter on September 7, 2022, and was released," McKenna wrote.

Afterward, Vargas committed various misdemeanor crimes in 2023 and 2024, resulting in his pretrial release in March 2024, McKenna noted. From there, Vargas was picked up again, charged with aggravated fleeing the police and obstructing justice, "a matter involving the defendant fleeing from police and then filing a false report claiming his car was stolen. He was ordered released on that matter on September 5, 2024," McKenna explained.

Two months later, on Nov. 8, 2024, "the defendant then is alleged to have committed an aggravated battery ... in that he punched an individual about the body on the public walkway on Jefferson Street in Joliet. He was released on that matter on January 27, 2025. The defendant was then placed on electronic monitoring. On July 14, 2025, his release was modified to allow for 'work related movement' from Friday through Sunday ... this (newest) offense was committed on a Friday evening at 9:23 p.m. just as the defendant's curfew for the evening had happened," McKenna's petition noted.

March 6, 2026

McKenna said the Joliet house shooting happened at 9:23 p.m. on Friday, March 6, in the 600 block of Dover Street.

Two women and one small child were inside the home when the shooting happened.

"Both women stated they were eating dinner on the first floor of the residence with the young child when the home was struck by gunfire. They fled to the basement for safety and didn't witness any suspects," McKenna pointed out.

Video security cameras in the area captured footage of a black vehicle driving past the house during the shooting. The same vehicle circled the block moments before. Joliet police used FLOCK cameras to determine it was a 2006 black Chevrolet Impala, owned by Vargas, McKenna said.

"The defendant is on pretrial release on numerous felony offenses and is wearing an ankle bracelet equipped with GPS," McKenna stated in her filing. "Based on the consistently updated GPS locations from the ankle monitor, it does not appear the defendant made any stops between entering the driver's side of the vehicle and arriving at 605 Dover. There are no other cars present at the time of the shooting on the video of the shooting."

Joliet police found five CBC Luger shell casings in the street on Dover.

"The shots appear to have been fired from the driver's side of the vehicle, as the home is on the driver's side of the vehicle," the prosecutor revealed.

A week later, on Friday, March 13, Joliet police raided Vargas' house in the 700 block of Garnsey Avenue. He lives there in the basement with his girlfriend and two children. Court documents show that the Joliet police found two guns in a bedroom dresser: one fully loaded Ruger 9 mm and a fully loaded black Glock with a red switch, making it an automatic firearm and a laser.

A W-2 employment form for Vargas was recovered inside a box in the bedroom.

"The Ruger was equipped with 9 mm CBC rounds, which are the same manufacturer and caliber as the shell casings on the scene of the Dover shooting," McKenna wrote.

The Ruger had been reported as stolen.

Meanwhile, 29.63 grams of heroin were found in Vargas' bedroom wrapped in foil and a plastic bag, according to the filing. The Chevrolet Impala was impounded during Joliet police's search warrant, and "that vehicle is registered to this defendant and has a loud muffler consistent with the sound of the departing vehicle in this shooting," McKenna announced.

As for Vargas, Joliet police captured him driving a different vehicle last Friday, and he went back to the police station for an interview. "He admitted driving that vehicle throughout the day of the shooting and stated he was the only person driving that day. He admitted the bedroom in which the firearms were located as his ... he stated he wasn't at the shooting. He stated his GPS locations for the ankle bracelet placing him there are wrong. He stated his lawyer told him GPS locations for the ankle monitor are incorrect and that they are also wrong in relation to the other pending offenses he has," McKenna noted in her filing.