Criminal complaint shows Al Capone once was arrested in Joliet

JOLIET – Notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone, his brother and several of his lieutenants once were arrested in Joliet.

On the morning of Dec. 16, 1927, Capone was on his way to Chicago from southern California when he was arrested by Joliet police, according to a Chicago Daily Tribune article provided by the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

A copy of the criminal complaint shows that Capone; his brother, Ralph “Bottles” Capone; and several of his men were charged with carrying concealed weapons.

“That story in Joliet had really big ramifications,” said Gregory Peerbolte, the museum’s executive director.

The story is part of the museum’s exhibit on the history of breweries and Prohibition in Joliet. The exhibit explores whether Capone’s unplanned stay in Joliet implicated him in the infamous 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and newfound evidence suggests it might have.

“An article in the Chicago Tribune just days after the massacre specifically recalled an incident two years prior in which Capone spent ‘time’ in Joliet,” according to the museum’s exhibit.

Capone might have gone to California to “shake down Hollywood studios,” Peerbolte said.

Capone said the film industry was a “grand racket,” according to the museum.

A Tribune article reported that it was the “carelessness of his own reception committee,” headed by Ralph Capone, that led to the arrests in Joliet. Ralph Capone and four men were armed with shotguns and pistols, and they arrived at Joliet’s Union Station an hour before Al Capone.

“They sat about in the station and a restaurant until the bulges in their pockets aroused suspicion,” the article stated.

The men were arrested by Joliet police, led by Chief John Corcoran and Capt. William McCanna, who learned Al Capone was expected to arrive in Joliet, according to the Tribune. When Al Capone arrived and stepped onto the platform, McCanna identified him.

“Please to meet you,” Al Capone said to McCanna, according to the Tribune.

Al Capone and his men were jailed in Joliet, according to the museum. After making bail, Al Capone promised to “make a good big donation to the worthy charities of Joliet,” and he said he “wasn’t mad at anybody,” according to the museum.

Al Capone initially planned to fight the case, but he eventually pleaded guilty, according to the Tribune. He and his men paid a $2,601 fine.

Judge Fred R. Adams told Al Capone that perhaps the conviction and fine would be a lesson to him, and Al Capone agreed, according to the museum.

“Yes, judge, it certainly will. ... I’ll never tote a gun again in Joliet,” Al Capone reportedly said.

Peerbolte said newspapers at the time quoted “really good stuff” from the arrest and trial.

“I can’t believe this story is not known outside of Joliet,” Peerbolte said.