Joliet Gang Member Leads Police On Wild Chase: Cops

JOLIET, IL — A 21-year-old Joliet street gang member was arrested around 3 a.m. Wednesday after leading police on a chase that resulted in his capture and the recovery of two stolen guns, one from Will County and the other gun from elsewhere in Illinois, police say.

Now, Sebastian Gates is lodged in the Will County Jail, where he is charged with two counts of having a stolen gun, unlawful possession of a gun by a street gang member, aggravated fleeing a peace officer, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, obstructing a peace officer, unlawful possession of ammunition, having no FOID and several traffic violations, according to Joliet police.

Around 2:50 a.m. Joliet police tried to stop Gates near North Hickory and Division Streets after he violated a traffic law, but Gates refused to pull over, reports show.

"Officers pursued the fleeing vehicle to the area of Maple Road and Draper Avenue. While turning northbound onto Draper Avenue, the vehicle left the roadway and struck a brick landscaping structure," police reports state.

Gates regained control of his car and got back on the road, but he soon lost control again, putting his car in a ravine along Draper Avenue, which is the Forest Park area of Joliet, police say.

As Gates tried to outrun the police, "Officers quickly apprehended the driver near Maple Road and Draper Avenue and identified him as Gates. Officers recovered a handgun that Gates discarded while fleeing. It was determined that this firearm had been reported stolen from another county in Illinois."

Police say they recovered a second gun, stolen out of Will County, from inside Gates' car.

During the booking process, Gates complained of a medical issue, so he was taken by ambulance to St. Joe's hospital to get checked out. Around 8 a.m., he was admitted as a new prisoner at the Will County Jail on South Chicago Street.

Gates lives in the 400 block of Garnsey Avenue, jail records show.