Joliet Man Shoots Up SUV In Romeoville Chase: Forfeiture

JOLIET, IL — A 23-year-old Joliet a man who lives in the 200 block of Doris Avenue remains locked away from society after police say he shot up a black Mazda SUV near Taylor and Budler Roads in Romeoville on Jan. 5. Now, the Will County State's Attorney's Office is moving forward with a civil forfeiture case against criminal defendant Jayln Blackmore.

A forfeiture hearing is set for March 10 in Will County to determine whether Blackmore's 2006 Dodge Charger should become an asset for the police. Blackmore is charged with reckless discharge of a gun and aggravated battery, court records show.

Around 12:35 p.m. on Jan. 5, Romeoville police learned that someone was shooting at a black SUV during a high-speed chase along a westbound stretch of Taylor Roads.

Witnesses told police "that shortly after both vehicles sped past them, they heard multiple gunshots," court records show.

Romeoville police and Will County Sheriff's deputies swarmed the area after learning that a black Mazda SUV was shot several times in the 14100 block of South Lehigh Drive in Plainfield Township. The sheriff's office also fielded separate reports of homes that were hit by bullets.

Police later learned that the black Mazda SUV that was struck with bullets on Lehigh Drive was the same SUV being shot at along Budler Road, the forfeiture complaint states.

As for the gunman, he was driving a black Dodge Charger, and a Lakewood Falls security officer alerted police that he may be hiding in the neighborhood, the forfeiture states.

Romeoville police spotted Blackmore's black Dodge Charger and followed him as he turned from Budler Road to Lakewood Falls Drive and eventually onto Gladwin Drive where police pulled him over, the complaint states.

Blackmore had expired license plates, a suspended's driver's license, and the young man from Joliet gave police permission to search his vehicle for weapons, court records indicate.

Later, the police obtained video surveillance tapes from a nearby Circle K gas station that showed a black Dodge Charger with black wheels and a broken passenger side mirror leave the gas station at high speeds to chase after the Mazda, the forfeiture documents show.

Police interviewed witnesses who positively identified Blackmore's Dodge Charger as being involved in the shooting along Budler Road, court records state.

Blackmore remains in the Will County Jail, unable to post 10 percent of his $125,000 bail, jail records show.