Man Behind Garnsey Ave Shelter-In-Place Arrested, Defaced Gun Recovered: Joliet Police

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Police Department issued a press release late Thursday afternoon revealing that the morning shelter-in-place on the city's east side resulted in the capture of 27-year-old Sebastian Gates and the recovery of one of his defaced guns.

A photo of the gun is contained at the bottom of this story.

"Following an extensive investigation by the Joliet Police Narcotics Unit, Sebastian Gates, 27, Joliet, was identified as a suspect in a narcotics-related case," Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English announced.

At 9 a.m., members of the Joliet Police Narcotics Unit, along
with the Tactical Unit, Special Operations Squad, Crisis Negotiation Team, K9 Unit and Neighborhood Policing Team executed a search warrant at Gates’ residence in the 400 block of Garnsey Avenue.

After officers made initial contact, multiple occupants, including Gates, exited the home. Gates was detained at the scene. A brief shelter-in-place was requested for nearby residents as a precaution. During a search of the residence, officers recovered a handgun, ammunition and
suspected MDMA, English said.

Gates is charged with possession of a controlled substance, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, unlawful possession of ammunition, no FOID and
defacing identification marks of a firearm.

He was processed at the Joliet Police Department
and taken to the Will County Jail.

Gates has been the focus of multiple Joliet Patch crime stories in recent years. Five years ago, in January 2021, the story about his Joliet Police arrest was headlined:"Joliet Gang Member Leads Police On Wild Chase: Cops."

In that incident, Joliet Patch reported that as Gates tried to outrun the Joliet police, "Officers quickly apprehended the driver near Maple Road and Draper Avenue and identified him as Gates. Officers recovered a handgun that Gates discarded while fleeing. It was determined that this firearm had been reported stolen from another county in Illinois."

In his January 2021 arrest, the police said they recovered a second gun, stolen out of Will County, from inside Gates' car. That same month, Joliet Patch reported that 21-year-old Sebastian Gates and a 19-year-old accomplice were arrested in connection with an east-side neighborhood shooting in the 500 block of Landau Avenue. Several bullets were fired into a house early that Tuesday morning and over the weekend, according to Joliet police.