A man tried to kill two contractors who came to his house to install internet and TV services because he thought one of them took his dog, prosecutors said Saturday.
Jaquan Shines was on bond for felony aggravated battery of a peace officer at the time of the alleged crimes, making him the 17th person charged with killing or shooting — or trying to shoot or kill — someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. The alleged crimes involve at least 37 victims, eight of whom died.
The aggravated battery charge stemmed from an incident at a Mount Greenwood pet store October 2020. Shines allegedly walked up behind a female employee and brushed his groin against her buttocks after she refused to give him her phone number. She called police and asked them to remove him from the store.
Shines fought with a cop and injured the officer’s hip by knocking him to the ground, prosecutors said. He fled the scene, but investigators tracked him down by running the vehicle’s plate number.
On January 22 of this year, an AT&T technician went to Shines’ home to install TV and internet service. The tech began working and called for another installer to help with the job.
Before the second tech arrived, the first installer heard people in the house talking about a dog. Shines, 23, accused him of taking the animal, then held the man at gunpoint and ordered him to look for the dog, prosecutors said.
The technician crawled around on the basement floor looking for the dog until Shines allegedly demanded to see the interior of his work truck. After searching the vehicle while Shines held the technician at gunpoint, they returned to the house and Shines put a gun to the man’s head, prosecutors said. Shines allegedly told the tech that he had ten minutes to find the dog or he’d kill him.
Moments later, the victim saw an open door and made a run for it. Upon reaching the alley, he searched for an empty building to hide in — but that’s when the second technician arrived to help with the job.
The first tech got into the man’s van, and they sped away. Both men saw Shines open fire on them as they left, but the men escaped injury, prosecutors said. Shines then got into a vehicle and chased after the men, but the victims escaped by running red lights and sought help at the 5th District police station, according to the allegations.
Prosecutors on Saturday also charge Shines with a separate sexual assault charge. The allegations stem from an assault of a 14-year-old girl that allegedly happened two months before the pet store incident.
Shines, who was 21 at the time, did not know the girl when he saw her on the street and exchanged numbers in August 2020, prosecutors said. She later went to his home after he texted her an invitation. The two engaged in “consensual touching” but the girl told him to stop after he took off his pants and exposed his privates, prosecutors said.
Instead, Shines allegedly struggled with the girl, took her to the ground, and repeatedly tried to have sex with her. The girl eventually got away, and she immediately outcried to a friend, according to prosecutors.
DNA material collected after the assault was matched to Shines this month, prosecutors said. The girl identified him in a photo line-up on April 11.
Police arrested Shines on Thursday.
He is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated armed kidnapping, and criminal sexual assault causing bodily harm.
Prosecutors said he has a 2018 felony conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and a 2016 juvenile adjudication for armed robbery.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered him held without bail on Saturday.
Shines pleaded guilty to battering the police officer at the pet store on March 30.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals who have been accused of murder, attempted murder, or shooting firearms toward people while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has made arrests in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.
