CHICAGO — On parole for two felony gun cases, on bond for allegedly possessing a stolen motor vehicle, and with a fresh gunshot wound in one arm, Earnest Lockett opened fire on a marked Chicago police squad car this week, prosecutors said.
The officers were not injured, but Lockett is now charged with two counts of attempted murder of peace officers. Judge William Fahy held him without bail during a bond hearing on Wednesday afternoon.
Lockett is the twelfth person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago this year while awaiting trial for a felony. The cases involve at least 17 victims, seven of whom died.
Parole violation
Chicago police arrested Lockett on January 2, 2020, for allegedly possessing a firearm in a vehicle on the 2500 block of East 79th Street. While he was on bail, prosecutors charged him with possessing another firearm in another car.
He pleaded guilty last year and received two consecutive two-year sentences. But, after having the time halved for good behavior and receiving various credits, he walked out of Stateville Correctional Center on the same day he arrived — October 20, 2022.
Barely two months later, on New Year’s Day, Chicago police arrested Lockett again at a gas station in the 800 block of East 79th Street. Prosecutors said the officers saw him drive a stolen Dodge Charger with incorrect plates into a gas station, a felony allegedly recorded by the business’ surveillance cameras.
But state officials did not revoke Lockett’s parole, and Judge Barbara Dawkins allowed him to go home upon posting a $200 bail deposit, according to court records.
On Monday evening, Chicago police officers responded to the 5900 block of South Ashland after a ShotSpotter detected gunfire, according to CPD. They found a man at the scene with a gunshot wound to his arm.
The video showed Lockett and others exchange gunfire with the man, then escape in a black Jeep with no plates, prosecutors said Wednesday. Two uniformed Chicago police officers driving a marked patrol car spotted the Jeep nearby and tried to pull it over, officials said.
The Jeep’s driver, identified by prosecutors as Korrie Jones, 21, sped away from the cops after they activated their lights and sirens. Officials said she drove the wrong way down streets and ran red lights as Lockett shot at the squad car from a side window.
Jones eventually crashed into a concrete wall in the 5900 block of South Ashland, and four of the vehicle’s five occupants tried to escape, according to CPD. Cops detained all of them, including a man in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his chest, the police department said.
Police found a 9-millimeter MAC-11 handgun on the rear passenger floorboard, where Lockett allegedly fired from. Prosecutors said Lockett admitted to possessing the weapon but claimed he never fired it.
His public defender said he is expecting his first child later this month. Lockett also mentors children and works as a canvasser for an energy company, the lawyer said.
Jones is charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding. She must post a $10,000 deposit to be released on electronic monitoring. Her public defender said she works for the same company as Lockett.
When Chicago police announced charges against Lockett, they identified him as Antwon Harrison. But that’s an alias, Fahy and prosecutors said during Wednesday’s bond hearing. Coincidentally, Antwon Harrison is the name of a man who was arrested with Lockett at the gas station in January. Harrison was only charged with a misdemeanor.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others 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 “not horrible” series
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 brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data.Â
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Previous reporting
#6: Man killed 1, tried to kill another while on felony bail, prosecutors say (April 29, 2023)