Anthony's Bouncer Shooting: Joliet Man Won't Be His Own Lawyer

JOLIET, IL —Bryson Carter, the 26-year-old Joliet man held on a $500,000 bail in connection with December's non-fatal shooting of an Anthony's Restaurant & Pub bouncer along Interstate 55, will not be serving as his own attorney as Carter had hoped, court files show.

Following Wednesday's hearing in Courtroom 404 before Will County Circuit Judge Vincent Cornelius, Carter agreed to hire Joliet criminal defense attorney Chuck Bretz. The Will County Public Defender's Office has been removed from the case as Carter did not want anyone affiliated with the public defender's office assisting with his criminal defense.

Carter, who lives in the 200 block of Iowa Avenue, is charged with aggravated battery discharging a gun and aggravated discharge of a gun into an occupied vehicle. The Illinois State Police identified Carter as the driver who was chasing after the bouncer along I-55, not the actual shooter, according to court records.

According to police: Carter and an acquaintance were thrown out of Anthony's after getting into a fight with bouncers. When one of the bouncers began to drive home after Anthony's closed, Carter and two passengers began to follow him, court records show.

As the two vehicles headed south along I-55 between Joliet and Shorewood, Carter pulled up right next to the 37-year-old Minooka man and Carter's backseat passenger fired several gunshots at the bouncer's truck, hitting the man twice, court records show.

The bouncer pulled over and called 911, informing police that the shooters got off at the U.S. 52 and headed toward Joliet on West Jefferson Street.

While in the Will County Jail, Carter filed a one-page typed motion, all in capital letters, asking Will County's judges to let him be his own attorney.

"NOW COMES THE DEFENDANT BRYSON L CARTER PRO SE AND THE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE HONORABLE COURT TO ENTER AND ORDER ON MY MOTION TO SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANT/ADVANCE COURT DATE HEARING."

Carter's motion stated he "want to go pro se in this matter" and "that the defendant Bryson L. Carter (is) asking the honorable court for a new court date of Feb. 25" and "that the defendant Bryson L. Carter requesting the public defender to leave to withdraw of my case."

On Wednesday, Judge Cornelius admonished Carter in his attempt to go without a lawyer. By late morning, attorney Chuck Bretz of Bretz, Flynn & Associates emerged, and Bretz filed his appearance as the counsel of record for Carter.

Bretz told Joliet Patch he has been hired to represent Carter in the I-55 shooting and that Carter will not be serving as his own lawyer.

Bretz said he has not seen the discovery material that contains the Illinois State Police reports and interviews of his client, but Bretz intends to provide "an aggressive defense" for Carter.

During an interview with Illinois State Police in December, Carter identified a 26-year-old Crest Hill man by name as the gunman who shot the bouncer.

Carter also provided police with the name of his front-seat passenger, who Carter claimed wanted to chase after the bouncer after they were thrown out of Anthony's, according to court documents.

As of this week, the Illinois State Police has not made any additional arrests in the case, just Carter.

The bouncer's gunshot wounds were not life-threatening, and he was interviewed at St. Joe's hospital while recovering from his injuries back in December.