DEA, suspected drug dealer from Morris exchange gunfire outside Louis Joliet Mall

JOLIET – U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents exchanged gunfire with suspected drug dealers, one of whom is a Morris resident, Tuesday evening outside the Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet.

Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said the incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. when an undercover "buy-bust" went bad in the parking lot between JC Penney and Macy's on the northwest side of the mall.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Dennis Wichern said agents were expecting to buy 2 kilograms of cocaine from Adan Godinez, 31, of Morris, and his accomplice, whose identity has not yet been released by authorities. The suspects chose to meet at the mall, Wichern said.

"When agents moved in to make the arrest, Godinez took out a gun and began firing," Wichern said.

Hani Hamdan and his girlfriend were leaving work when they "heard shots and glass breaking about 15 cars away."

"I held her down between two cars [and] more glass shattered. I saw the window of a white Porsche get shot out," Hamdan said. "Then the cops started swarming ... yelling 'Get down!'"

Godinez was struck in the leg by a round fired by agents.

"You could see a lot of blood on the [ground]," Hamdan said.

Benton said Joliet police had uniformed officers in the area to support the DEA but were not involved in the shootout. He also said several vehicles were struck by gunfire but no one else was injured.

A large area about 50 yards from the entrance to the Tilted Kilt was marked with yellow police tape with the Porsche and 11 other cars inside, including a gray pickup truck with a flat tire. The vehicles had license plates from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Wichern said Godinez's partner was also armed with a handgun. Godinez was taken to Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center and being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. Federal charges against both men were pending Tuesday night, Wichern said.

"In Joliet, we're here every day. To see something like this is not a good thing. It's like Chicago," Hamdan said.

"It's very terrifying," said Perla Cervantes, who came out to the parking lot minutes after the shooting.

As of 9 p.m. police had set up floodlights in the parking lot as evidence technicians took photographs.