Juvenile found guilty of break-in at Westmont dealership
A Cook County juvenile was found guilty on charges stemming from a New Year's Eve break-in at a Westmont BMW dealership.
The juvenile, who has been in custody since January, was found guilty of two counts of armed violence, one count of burglary, one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, one count of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and one count of aggravated assault on a police officer.
DuPage County Judge Anthony Coco delivered the guilty verdict Tuesday after a two-day bench trial.
Police also recovered four firearms, three of which were equipped with switches that enabled a fully automatic mode, high-capacity magazines, 28 key fobs for various vehicles and two pry bars.
The juvenile's co-defendants Angel Martin, 24, of Dolton, and Semaje Wheeler and Brian Garrett, both 19 and of Chicago, have been charged with eight counts of armed violence, one count of burglary and one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Their cases are pending. Westmont police were called to Laurel BMW on Ogden Avenue at 4:27 a.m. Dec. 31, 2021. When officers arrived, they saw the juvenile and Martin exiting the showroom and entering a white Acura with two occupants, later identified as Wheeler and Garrett, according to a news release from the DuPage County state's attorney's office. The juvenile drove the car toward a police officer as the group tried to flee. The officer, who had to run out of the path of the car, fired upon the car, hitting the juvenile in the chest and grazing Martin, according to the news release.
The Acura, which was reported stolen on Dec. 21 in Lake County, continued east on Ogden and eventually crashed into a ditch near 22nd Street in Oak Brook. All four occupants fled but were apprehended by police a short time later. The juvenile was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he remained until Jan. 10.
Authorities allege the juvenile and Martin first attempted to get into the dealership with a pry bar. When that failed, Martin grabbed a landscaping rock and threw it through a pane of glass in the garage bay door before police arrived, authorities allege.