Al Capone's Joliet Police Arrest: 93 Years Ago

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Police Department isn't known for garnering publicity for arrests that it made back in 1927, but one such arrest has gained world-wide attention and Wednesday marked the anniversary. On Dec. 16, 1927, 93 years ago today, infamous gangster Al Capone was arrested by Joliet police after Capone had taken a train from California back to Illinois, with a planned stop in Joliet, the department told its Facebook followers on Wednesday.

Joliet police arrested Capone and six of his bodyguards as they got off the train at downtown Joliet's Union Station. The bodyguards all had illegal guns, police said. Six days later, Capone and four others pleaded guilty and their fines totaled about $2,600. At the court hearing, the judge scolded Capone, who remarked, "It certainly will be a lesson not to carry guns in Joliet, I'll say that," according to Joliet police.

The FBI's website has a lengthy historical write-up about Al Capone's crimes that you can read here.

The following photo contains Al Capone's fingerprints when he was booked at the Joliet Police Department.

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