Joliet man charged with 2021 shooting faces new weapon, drug charges

A Joliet man charged with a 2021 shooting again has been arrested and accused of driving in the city with a loaded handgun and cocaine in his pocket.

About 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Jesus Zambrano, 33, was taken to the Will County jail on charges of armed violence, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.

Since 2021, Zambrano has been charged in four other open felony cases in Will County, and he has been in and out of jail throughout that time. In one of those cases, Zambrano was charged with wounding another man in a shooting May 7, 2021, in Joliet.

The latest incident began about 7:30 p.m. Friday, when officers conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota RAV4 in the 1300 block of Campbell Street because the vehicle disobeyed a stop sign, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Officers searched Zambrano and recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband and what they suspected was cocaine from his pocket that was packaged for sale, English said. They also recovered suspected marijuana that was packaged for sale, he said.

In a court filing, prosecutors alleged that Zambrano had a Taurus GX4 handgun with 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.

Prosecutors also alleged the substance in Zambrano’s right pocket had field-tested positive for cocaine, and the substance found in the center console of the vehicle field tested positive for marijuana. Consequently, Zambrano was charged in a criminal complaint of unlawful possession of cocaine.

Prosecutors have objected to Zambrano’s release from jail because he was arrested while he was out on bond in the 2021 shooting case. They noted that Zambrano also was charged the same year with harassment and aggravated assault of the shooting victim.

Further, Zambrano was charged last year with aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery of a woman.

Prosecutors contend that Zambrano is a threat to the two victims in the open felony cases against him because he “continues to travel with a loaded firearm around the streets of Joliet despite being on bond for the offenses he has committed against them.”