Joliet man back in jail on new charges

A Joliet man was booked into the Will County Jail Thursday night on suspicion of burglary and aggravated battery.

At 11:40 p.m. Aug. 6, officers came out to a to Joe’s Beverage Warehouse at 3001 W. Jefferson St. after receiving a report of retail theft.

After they arrived, police learned multiple suspects tried leaving with a bottle of tequila without paying for it. When a store employee approached the suspects at the door, a male suspect hit the employee in the face.

The suspects then got into a vehicle and left the area.

While investigating the incident, police learned one of the suspects was John Hernandez Jr., who was one of two men charged with the attempted murder of Hernandez’s 46-year-old father on June 14.

Hernandez, 20, and Vargas, 21, had tried killing Hernandez’s father by firing a gun at him in the 500 block of Miami Street in Joliet Township.

A warrant was secured for Hernandez’s arrest on Thursday for burglary and aggravated battery.

At 7:41 p.m. Thursday, officers were called to the 800 block of Richmond Streets to a report of shots fired. When they arrived, officers found a house that was struck multiple times by gunfire. No one was injured, according to Joliet police.

While investigated the gunfire, officers saw Hernandez enter a home in the 500 black of Oneida Street.

Joliet police said officers “maintained a perimeter around this residence,” and arrested Hernandez without incident a short time later when he left the house.

Police are investigating both the retail theft and the shots fired incidents.