An 18-year-old man was arrested on New Year’s Eve after he and another person alleged tried to break into a car and shot at a man in South Peoria.
JiMichael Brown was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon Thursday after he allegedly shot at a man while trying to break into a vehicle with another person in the 1900 block of West Butler Street on New Year’s Eve.
According to the Peoria Police Department, they received word at 8:02 p.m. Tuesday of a ShotSpotter alert at the scene. When officers arrived, they found a man who told them that two men had fled after trying to break into his vehicle and firing one shot at him. No injuries were reported.
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Two men matching the description of the suspects were found in the 600 block of South Blaine Street and led police on a foot chase.
Brown was apprehended in the 1800 block of West Millman. While he was being arrested, officers found a stolen semi-automatic handgun, along with a magazine and burglary tools. The other suspect was not located.
Brown was initially charged with unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of burglary tools, obstructing an officer and resisting police, but the charges were distilled into the single unlawful possession charge that came in front of Peoria County Circuit Court on Thursday.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a motion to deny Brown pre-trial release, with a hearing on the issue continuing into Friday afternoon.
Brown was currently being held at the Peoria County Jail, with the New Year’s Eve incident remaining under investigation.
Anyone with further details on the incident is asked to contact PPD at (309) 673-4521 or provide a tip anonymously through their Tip411 service. They can also contact Crime Stoppers at (309) 673-9000.
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Man arrested after allegedly trying to break into car in Peoria