Suburban man charged after breaking into Itasca home armed with AR-15
Sean Brutto (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)
ITASCA, Ill. - An Itasca man was denied pre-trial release Saturday after breaking into a home with an AR-15 rifle Friday morning.
Sean Brutto, 34, allegedly shot the rear sliding glass door of a home in the 800 block of Willow Court around 9:17 a.m. before going inside the house.
Itasca police were called to the scene for reports of a gunman entering homes. While they were en route, officers were told shots had been fired.
When officers arrived, Brutto was in the front yard of a home in the 700 block of Willow Court armed with an AR-15 rifle. He was ordered to drop the firearm and he complied.
He was ordered to the ground and removed his coat, which held a box of ammunition containing 19 rounds. Officers recovered a loaded AR-15 with one bullet in the chamber.
Prosecutors say Brutto fired two shots in the neighborhood before firing one round at the home in the 800 block of Willow Court. The round shattered the door and hit the refrigerator.
The owner of the home left his bedroom where he allegedly ran into Brutto on the second floor in the hallway, armed with the AR-15.
Prosecutors say after a brief struggle between the two men, during which the homeowner was able to disarm Brutto and throw the weapon downstairs, Brutto ran downstairs, retrieved the AR-15, stole the homeowner’s iPhone and fled the scene.
He was charged with two counts of home invasion, one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm – occupied building, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.
Brutto’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 5.