Joliet Homicide Probe: Suspect Drives Through Shorewood Yard: JPD

JOLIET — A Sunday afternoon chase resulted in a suspect being captured by Joliet police after colliding with a squad car after driving through a Shorewood subdivision.

Elian Raya, 20, was booked into the Will County Jail, and was being sought by Joliet police in connection with Saturday's late night Joliet homicide of Fernando J. Contreras, the 23-year-old Joliet man who died of several gunshots. Contreras and two other young men who survived their gunshot wounds were all shot inside the living room of a house in the Ridgewood Area of Joliet's east side, in the 400 block of Krakar Avenue.

According to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English, Raya has not been charged in connection with the deadly shooting on Krakar; for now, Raya faces charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding a peace officer.

English said that at 2:40 p.m. Sunday, Joliet officers tried to pull over Raya's Nissan Sentra near Garnsey Avenue and Elwood Avenue as part of an investigation the homicide in the 400 block of Krakar Avenue the night before.

According to police, Raya quickly sped away and officers pursued the vehicle southbound on Collins Street toward East Jefferson Street and then further south towards the intersection of Fourth Avenue and South Chicago Street, where the Nissan eventually headed westbound on Interstate 80.

During this time, the fleeing Nissan continued to drive at a high rate of speed, English said. Raya continued westbound on Interstate 80 to northbound Interstate 55, where he exited onto northbound Route 59 to westbound Jefferson Street in Shorewood.

The fleeing vehicle turned northbound on Route 59, then to Deerwood Drive, where Raya left the roadway and drove through someone's yard, according to police.

Joliet's officers pursued Raya's Nissan to a cul-de-sac on Arrowhead Drive, at which time English said Raya did a U-turn and drove out of the cul-de-sac by again leaving the roadway and driving through the yards.

As Raya's vehicle approached the intersection of Deerwood Drive and Arrowhead Drive, the Nissan struck a Joliet officer's squad car, according to police. Finally, Raya's car came to a rest in a nearby ditch.

At this point, Raya was captured and taken back to the Joliet Police Department for processing. Raya was uninjured, and he received multiple citations, and his car was towed from the scene.

"No further information will be released at this time as this incident remains under active investigation by the Joliet Police Department Investigations Division. The Joliet Police Department wishes to thank our law enforcement partners for their assistance in this matter," English said in Tuesday's press release.

Raya been the subject of multiple Joliet Patch crime stories in recent years.

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