Three Face Weapons Charges After Palmer Avenue Incident: Romeoville Police

Richard Ortiz, Omar Ramirez/Will County Sheriff's Office

Two men and a juvenile face weapons charges in connection with an incident that forced police to close a street and order a precautionary school lockdown on Tuesday afternoon.

Police who responded to a 911 call about a person with a gun in the 600 block of Palmer Avenue located and attempted to stop a vehicle believed to be involved in the incident, according to Cmdr. John Ferdinardo.

While a juvenile got out of the car and attempted to flee on foot, the other two occupants of the car eventually surrendered after a brief pursuit, police said. A gun was found in the car, according to Ferdinardo.

The juvenile was apprehended a few blocks from the scene, Ferdinardo said.

The two men in the car -- 21-year-old Richard Ortiz of 624 Palmer Avenue and Omar Ramirez, 20, of 449 Clifton Avenue -- and the juvenile all were charged with unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a weapon/ammunition without a FOID card, police said.

Ferdinardo said a records search did not indicate that the gun was stolen, but the incident remains under investigation.

Nearby A. Vito Martinez Middle School was briefly locked down during the incident as a precaution, police said.

In an unrelated arrest, 18-year-old Brian Ortiz, also of 624 Palmer Avenue, was taken into custody by Romeoville police on a warrant for a 2016 trespassing to a vehicle case, according to jail records.