West Side Shooting, Teen Injured, Joliet Police Make Arrest

JOLIET, IL — Six months after a 17-year-old Joliet teenager was shot in the back in the afternoon in the 200 block of Pleasant Street, Joliet police announced that Will County Sheriff's deputies have captured the villain, taking 18-year-old Crest Hill resident Juan Basurto into custody on several felonies.

Basurto was hauled away in handcuffs on Monday morning and brought to the Will County Jail, where he will remain indefinitely. He's charged with aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a gun, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a gun.

Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English outlined the following events surrounding the non-fatal shooting probe:

On August 4, 2023, at 1:42 p.m., Joliet police were called to the 200 block of Pleasant for a male who was shot. The 17-year-old boy was found in the backyard of the house with a gunshot wound to his lower back.

The victim was taken to Ascension St Joseph Medical Center by the Joliet Fire Department and his gunshot was considered non-life threatening.

After canvassing the west-side neighborhood in the St. Pat's Area, detectives identified Basurto as a suspect and obtained an arrest warrant for Basurto on Jan. 17. Basurto was taken into custody at his residence in Crest Hill by the Will County Sheriff’s Office around 7 a.m. on Monday.

Basurto comes from the apartment units in the 2300 block of Bicentennial Avenue.