Bank Robbery Suspect Tries To Shoot Joliet Police Officer: English

JOLIET, IL — Bail has been set at $2.5 million for current Joliet resident Victor Barakat, who is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder of a Joliet police sergeant. The shooting incident happened when Joliet police tried to arrest Barakat at his house, Joliet Police Spokesman Dwayne English informed Patch on Tuesday, after Patch reported on the filing of charges.

The 47-year-old Barakat is charged in Will County with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, disarming a peace officer and two counts of aggravated assault.

According to the criminal complaint, Barakat raised a gun in the direction of the Joliet police sergeant and pulled the trigger while the sergeant was engaged in performing his duties and Barakat knew or should have known the person he was trying to shoot was a police officer.

The complaint states that Barakat was convicted 20 years ago, in 2003, of armed robbery in Cook County. At the time of the Feb. 13 shooting in Joliet, Barakat had a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, according to prosecutors.

Also, Barakat tried to take the gun of a second Joliet police officer who was involved in the incident, prosecutors say.

According to court records and Sgt. English's press release:

• Joliet police went to Barakat's residence in the 400 block of Timber Point Drive because Barakat was a bank robbery suspect in another community's crime and police knew he was home.
• Joliet police identified themselves when Barakat came to the door, and he pointed a gun at a Joliet police sergeant and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire. Joliet police tackled Barakat to the ground and police wrestled the gun away from him
• The handgun’s magazine contained live ammunition, however, the weapon’s firing chamber was empty.

At that point, more problems happened.

According to English:

• As Joliet police brought the bank robbery suspect back to a squad car, Barakat tried holding on to a Joliet officer's holstered gun and tried to remove it.
• Officers separated Barakat from the Joliet police officer's gun and a Joliet Fire Department ambulance brought him to St. Joe's hospital because of injuries he suffered during his struggle with police.
• After being released from the hospital, Joliet police had him transferred to federal custody, and that's where he remained on Tuesday.

Last week, Will County Judge Fred Harvey set Barakat's bail at $2.5 million and Harvey issued the warrant for Barakat's arrest. Barakat's current address is listed as the 400 block of Timber Pointe Drive in Joliet. Last year, he lived in Bolingbrook, court records show.

The warrant for Barakat's arrest indicate he worked at a New Lenox business and he is white, 5-foot-7, weighs 180 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. Joliet Police Detective Nick Giordano submitted the complaint seeking Barakat's arrest.