Ottawa man held on $5 million, charged with attempted murder after Tuesday shooting

An Ottawa man was ordered held Thursday on $5 million bond for allegedly trying to shoot and kill a witness in a felony drug case.

Anthony R. Brito Jr., 30, appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with four felony charges led by attempted first-degree murder. The Class X felony carries an extended sentence of 26 to 50 years, with no possibility of probation, because Brito is alleged to have used a firearm.

Brito became a suspect in the drive-by shooting reported at 6 p.m. Tuesday at La Salle and Main streets in Ottawa near the downtown courthouse. There, a driver reported multiple shots fired into his windshield – five shell casings were found at the scene – by a gun-wielding motorist who pulled alongside him.

No one was injured, Ottawa police confirmed.

Brito was arrested Wednesday after a short-lived but armed standoff in the 1500 block of Scott Street in Ottawa. He was jailed on a preliminary charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony carrying four to 15 years in prison, which was one of the charges formally presented Thursday.

But prosecutors added the attempted murder charge after learning that the targeted driver, Larry Burns, was a witness against Brito in a felony drug delivery – Brito pleaded guilty to delivering cocaine and awaits sentencing – and after another motorist linked Brito to the scene of the shooting.

Although the controlling charge is attempted first-degree murder, Brito also faces lesser but still serious counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and witness harassment.

Coupled with the time coming for his drug plea – sentencing is Oct. 27 – Brito faces a complicated sentencing range if convicted of any combination of charges from Tuesday’s shooting. La Salle County prosecutors have not yet computed an aggregate sentencing range on all matters.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said Thursday that he was unsure whether Brito would stand for sentencing next month on the drug conviction. Navarro said that whatever deal Brito might have cut is off the table.

“Any agreement he had is gone because he violated the terms of bond,” Navarro said.

At Brito’s first appearance, Navarro cited the multiple bond violations in asking Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. to either to hold Brito without bond or set bond at $5 million. Ryan opted for the latter; Brito must post $500,000 to be released from the La Salle County Jail.

Brito applied for, and was granted, the services of the public defender after disclosing no assets. He will next appear Sept. 29 for arraignment.