Two Joliet teens face gun charges after I-80 chase
By BRIAN STANLEY bstanley@stmedianetwork.com January 8, 2013 5:20PM
Updated: February 10, 2013 6:01PM
JOLIET — Two Joliet teenagers were charged Tuesday with weapons offenses after police found two handguns they allegedly discarded during a chase on Interstate 80, police said.
Rashawn Clayton, 17, of 205 Reichman St., and David B. Veasy, 17, of 1617 Middletree Road, were charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unauthorized possession of a firearm,
unauthorized possession of ammunition and obstructing police.
Police said they had been searching recently for the owner of a green GMC Yukon who has been linked to a Nov. 16 shooting in Rockdale.
Joliet Officer Ed Johnson said Officer Sherrie Blackburn saw the Yukon parked at a motel near Larkin Avenue and McDonough Street, so police put it under surveillance. About 10 a.m., three men got into the Yukon and a man and two women got into a nearby Cadillac, Johnson said.
The Yukon sped off when Officer Bert Badertscher attempted to stop it a few minutes later on eastbound I-80, police said. As he was following the car, the officer saw a stocking cap thrown from the SUV and a handgun flying out of the hat, they said.
Officers followed the Yukon to Center and McDonough streets, where Clayton and Veasy got out and ran as the vehicle sped away. The teens were quickly caught, but Veasy did not comply until being zapped with a stun gun, according to police.
When police went back to search for the gun along I-80, they saw the Cadillac driving along the eastbound shoulder, apparently looking for the gun, Johnson said. The occupants of the car were brought in for questioning but released without charges, police said.
Sgt. Jeremy Harrison found the pistol, hat and 25 bullets on the shoulder. After the two teens were questioned, officers returned to Interstate 80 and found a second handgun in the grass, police Cmdr. Al Roechner said.
Police were still searching for the driver of the Yukon late Tuesday night.
In the Rockdale shooting, two men began fighting during a birthday party at the American Legion, 705 S. Larkin Ave., and it escalated into a brawl that spilled outside and involved more than 50 people, Rockdale police said.
They said one man was shot and suffered life-threatening wounds during the melee, which is being investigated by the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force.
Rockdale Police Chief Robert Dykstra did not say how the Yukon owner was linked to the incident,
