Reckless Driver Doing Burnouts, Shooting Off Fireworks Caught: JPD

JOLIET — A 25-year-old Joliet motorist who was squealing his truck's tires and making burnouts was later apprehended after fleeing the Joliet police and driving over a stop stick to avoid capture, Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English.

The criminal defendant is Eduardo Barajas, and Joliet police gave him his notice to appear in court on charges of fleeing/eluding a peace officer and reckless driving.

The incident involving Barajas originated in the Rockdale area.

Joliet police said that on Saturday around 10:10 p.m., patrol officers spotted several vehicles in the 1900 block of Terminal Court doing burnouts and people were lighting off commercial grade fireworks.

Upon seeing the officers, people began to run, and vehicles left at a high rate of speed. One of the vehicles, a Chevrolet truck, squealed its tires and nearly struck a squad car, English indicated.

He said the officers tried to stop the truck, but Barajas continued to flee at a high rate of speed eastbound on Route 6. Officers deployed stop sticks on the vehicle as it fled eastbound. Officers stopped pursuing the vehicle after losing sight of it in the area of Henry Street and Miller Avenue on the southeast side of Joliet.

A short time later, the Joliet police learned that the driver of the Chevrolet truck had been stopped in a different vehicle by a Will County Sheriff deputy in the area.

At this traffic stop, Officers identified Barajas as the driver of the Chevrolet truck who fled from the officers on Terminal Court. Barajas was placed into custody. Officers located the truck that Barajas was driving in the 800 block of Albert Avenue with a tire damaged from the stop stick that was deployed. This vehicle was towed from the scene. Barajas was also cited for squealing/screeching his tires and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.