WESTMONT, IL — Police seized four guns and 28 key fobs and arrested three men after Laurel BMW was burglarized in Westmont early New Year’s Eve. A juvenile linked to the burglary was hospitalized after police say he was shot in the chest by an officer while driving a getaway car “directly at one of the uniformed officers,” a news release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
Angel Martin, 23, of Dolton, Semaje Wheeler, 18, of Chicago, and Brian Garrett, 19, of Chicago, were charged with armed violence, burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in connection with the incident. A detention hearing is pending for the juvenile, who was hospitalized after the incident.
Police were called to Laurel BMW, 430 E. Ogden Ave., Westmont just before 4:30 a.m. for a report of a burglary in progress. Prosecutors say Martin and the juvenile tried to use a pry bar to get into the building before throwing a landscaping rock through the garage’s bay door. The juvenile and Martin are accused of crawling through the broken window to enter the dealership.
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When police arrived, the juvenile and Martin left the building, got into a white Acura occupied by Wheeler and Garrett and tried to flee, a news release said. Police say they blocked the Acura’s exit, got out of their squad car and drew their weapons, ordering the men to get out of the Acura.
The driver of the Acura is accused of “driving directly at one of the uniformed officers,” prosecutors said. The officer fired at the car, hitting the driver in the chest and grazing Martin, per a news release.
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The car then fled on Ogden Avenue to northbound IL-83 before crashing into a ditch near 22nd Street in Oak Brook. Police say Martin, Wheeler, Garrett and the juvenile got out of the car and fled on foot before they were taken into custody. The juvenile was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The DuPage County MERIT Public Integrity Task Force and Forensic Investigation Unit is investigating the shooting.
Police say they searched the Acura and found a Glock 23 40-caliber with an extended magazine, a Poly 80 gun with a round in the chamber and a Glock 17 9mm with a fully loaded 24-round magazine. According to prosecutors, officers also found a 50-drum magazine that was “nearly full,” two pry bars and 28 key fobs inside the car, along with a Glock 19 with an extended magazine outside the car.
“It appears that as we enter a new year, the epidemic of car thefts shows no signs of slowing down,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
Berlin added, “I caution any would-be car thieves that in DuPage County, this type of behavior will most certainly not be tolerated and if you commit such a crime here you will be quickly apprehended, charged and face an aggressive prosecution, regardless of age.”
Martin, Wheeler and Garrett are set to appear in court again Jan. 24.
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