Chicago Heights man accused of planning ambush attack of adversary in Joliet

Prosecutors said a Chicago Heights man and the victim had an “ongoing argument for over a year” regarding drug sales and the victim was accused of pointing a gun at someone “very close" to the man.

A Chicago Heights man is accused of planning to lure an adversary to a location near Joliet Junior College , where he had shot him, according to prosecutors. On Thursday, Ozell Louis Seaton Jr. , 19, was indicted on charges of shooting and robbing a 20-year-old man. The man was found with two gunshot wounds about 3:50 a.m. on April 13 at Houbolt Road and Edward C. Wilko Lane, which is next to the entrance road to the JJC campus.

The 20-year-old man had been taken by helicopter to a Chicago hospital, where he had surgeries, a stroke and suffered partial paralysis from the shooting, according to a court filing from Will County prosecutors . During the investigation, officers discovered the incident occurred after “careful planning” by Seaton and included five other people, prosecutors said. As of Friday, court records did not show any charges filed against those five other people named in the court filing.

Prosecutors said Seaton and the victim had an “ongoing argument for over a year” regarding drug sales, and the victim was accused of pointing a gun at someone “very close to Seaton.” Seaton enlisted a friend of the victim to bring him to a “predetermined location” under the guise of meeting with a drug dealer, prosecutors said. Seaton and another friend used two teen girls as “bait” to ride with the victim in another vehicle to “make it appear safe,” prosecutors said.

Seaton got a ride to JJC by using the Uber account belonging to one of the girls, prosecutors said. During the investigation, the Uber driver told officers he picked up two passengers “wearing black hoodies with their hoods up,” prosecutors said. The driver said he heard one of the passengers speak on the phone.

The driver said he heard the passenger say, “Make sure they stay there or in the car, we’re coming in hot,” prosecutors said. The driver later heard the passenger say, “We’re going to get this (expletive),” prosecutors said. The driver dropped off the two passengers in a parking lot near a building across from the entrance road to JJC, prosecutors said.

Using video surveillance, officers determined Seaton had approached a vehicle occupied by the victim and the two girls, prosecutors said. The girls had left the vehicle before when the victim was shot by Seaton, prosecutors said. “Seaton fires a 9 mm handgun at [the victim] who is still in the backseat, striking him in the left shoulder and left leg,” prosecutors said.

Seaton is charged with robbing a book bag and a firearm from the victim, prosecutors said. The firearm was a Glock 32 pistol with a 50-round drum, prosecutors said.