PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Central Peoria man faces up to 30 years in prison after being charged Monday with shooting a bouncer in the stomach late Saturday night.
Anthony Gates, 43, appeared in Peoria County Circuit Court on the single count of aggravated battery with a firearm. Probation isn’t an option, and he faces at least six years behind bars if convicted.
The bouncer was in the process of trying to kick Gates out of Mike’s Tavern, located at 626 N. Cedar Ave. in West Peoria, shortly before midnight, said Assistant State’s Attorney Terry Muench.
Gates allegedly fired at the bouncer, hitting him in the stomach as well as hitting a nearby house and a car, Muench said in open court.
Shortly after deputies arrived on the scene, they located a man walking in the area that matched the suspect’s description. The Sheriff’s Office said deputies found a firearm in a storm drain near where Gates was seen, the prosecutor said.
Judge Suzanne Patton noted Gates’ past record and that he was already on bond for a case charged nearly a year ago in setting bond on the aggravated battery case at $150,000.
In that prior case, Gates faces charges of mob action and battery stemming from a Sept. 29, 2022, incident where’s he’s accused of hitting another person in the 1900 block of West Rohmann Avenue in West Peoria.
