Previously deported illegal alien Mexican charged with making terrorist...(update)
updated: 1/13/2018 5:49 PM
Greyhound bus suspect charged with 'making terroristic threats'
A man who threatened fellow passengers aboard a Milwaukee-to-Chicago Greyhound bus Friday evening is in custody and facing a felony charge of making terroristic threats.
Margarito Vargas-Rosas, a 33-year-old Chicago resident, was named at a Saturday news conference held by the Racine County Sheriff's Department. The Racine County District Attorney's Office also recommended a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct against Vargas-Rosas.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Vargas-Rosas does not have legitimate status in the United States. He was previously deported to Mexico in 2012 for traffic offenses.
Milwaukee County dispatchers were first alerted at 9:41 p.m. Friday when a fellow bus passenger called 911. Vargas-Rosas was reported to be arguing with another passenger and later made threats to kill "everyone on the bus" while making a motion to his waistband as if removing a gun, officials said in a news release.
Racine Sheriff's personnel located the bus on I-94 at Hwy. 20 and attempted to make an initial traffic stop. Despite the police presence, the southbound bus did not pull over.
"The first thought in my mind was that they were escorting us, but then it's like OK maybe they're not because I see some of them pulling over and I couldn't see what they were doing.
Some people said they saw them getting out of their cars, getting in the grass and throwing spikes out," said passenger Terrance Williams in an interview with ABC 7 Chicago.
Two separate spike strips were deployed in Kenosha County to strike the tires of the bus. It continued to travel 17 miles before coming to a stop just past the Illinois border near Wadsworth.
When interviewed by the Racine County Sheriff's Department, the bus driver advised that he was not threatened and simply did not stop because he didn't understand he was being pulled over.
All 36 passengers were removed from the bus and the suspect was taken into custody. No injuries were reported. Deputies were putting passengers inside squad cars to keep them warm before Greyhound deployed another bus to complete the journey to Chicago.
Sgt. Ryan Cape of the Illinois State Police said the interstate was shut down for approximately 3 hours during the investigation.
No firearms were discovered aboard the bus. Nonetheless, the bus was impounded and will be searched more thoroughly.
A Greyhound spokesperson said the company was fully cooperating with authorities. Greyhound also issued a statement saying its security measures include guards and surveillance cameras at many stations, random searches of carry-on baggage, DriveCams on buses, as well as working with federal authorities on security programs and procedures.
Multiple agencies assisted with the investigation, including the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Illinois State Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
ABC 7 Chicago and Daily Herald staff writers contributed to this report.
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/2018...ristic-threats
Man convicted of threatening passengers on Greyhound indicted for being in the countr
Man convicted of threatening passengers on Greyhound indicted for being in the country illegally
POSTED 7:14 PM, APRIL 3, 2018, BY KATIE DELONG
RACINE — Margarito Vargas-Rosas, 34, convicted of threatening passengers on board a Greyhound bus in January, has been federally indicted by a grand jury.
The indictment alleges that Margarito Vargas-Rosas, an illegal alien “was found in the U.S. after having been removed to Mexico on or about Oct. 3, 2012, on or about April 3, 2012 and on or about May 18, 2010 — and not having obtained the express consent of the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.”
The “re-entry of an illegal alien” charge is punishable by two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Vargas-Rosas on March 5 pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct at the state level. A charge of making terrorist threats was dropped and read into the court record.
https://localtvwiti.files.wordpress....trip=all&w=267
Margarito Vargas-Rosas
The court then sentenced Vargas-Rosas to serve 52 days in the Racine County Jail — with credit for time served.
According to a criminal complaint, this all began at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, where, prosecutors say, while waiting for the bus, there was an incident with Allied Barton Security. Vargas-Rosas was found to be intoxicated and he was advised to stop drinking. The complaint says he “later made a threat to kill the security officer and his family,” but apologized when he realized who he was talking to.
Eventually, a 911 call came in from aboard the Greyhound bus, but Milwaukee County squads weren’t able to locate it. Squads from Racine County were dispatched to I-94 around 9:50 p.m. and the bus was located by deputies. Emergency lights and sirens were activated at Mile Marker 334.3 at 10 p.m. in an attempt to stop the bus. Other squads held back traffic and allowed for a squad to use a spotlight in an attempt to get the driver’s attention — but the bus continued driving. A sergeant indicated the bus driver looked at her squad and then looked to the right.
The Greyhound continued with “a growing number of squads behind it.” A decision was made to use a tire-deflation device on the bus in Kenosha County. It struck multiple devices between State Highway 50 and the Illinois/Wisconsin state line, finally coming to a stop 2.25 miles into Illinois on I-94.
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said the bus driver didn’t know what was going on in the back of his bus, and thought deputies trailing him were trying to pull over someone else.
Investigators spoke with a passenger who said after returning to the bus at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, she observed Vargas-Rosas arguing with another passenger. She said she told them to stop arguing and the passenger did. She said when she asked Vargas-Rosas to calm down, he said “do you want to die?” and “I will kill all you (expletive) on this bus.” He added “my boys gon be at the bus stop in Chicago.” Investigators reviewed a 911 call made by the passenger in which she told the dispatcher “I’ll kill everyone on this bus.”
This witness said the passenger with whom Vargas-Rosas was arguing told her he had a gun and she needed to call the police. She said after she called police Vargas-Rosas continued making threats against the passengers, and when the bus finally stopped, Vargas-Rosas “became more upset and started pacing the aisle still threatening passengers on the bus.”
A deputy who spoke Spanish spoke with Vargas-Rosas, and indicated “Margarito said when he gets out he was gonna shoot people, police officers and military soldiers in Mexico.”
nvestigators also spoke with the Greyhound passenger with whom Vargas-Rosas was allegedly arguing. He said it started when they boarded the bus in Milwaukee. He said Vargas-Rosas was “threatening and harassing him” and told him “a bullet was waiting for him.” Vargas-Rosas also used racial slurs, according to this passenger. He said about 10 minutes into the ride, he saw Vargas-Rosas pull something out of his waistband and place it on the seat. The passenger said he was scared and crouched in his seat to call 911. While on the phone with police, he reported Vargas-Rosas walked to the bathroom and said “you dead, (expletive), you dead (expletive).”
A weapon wasn’t located during a search of the bus, the complaint says.
Below is some background information on Vargas-Rosas from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials:
On Jan. 13, 2018, deportation officers ICE placed an immigration detainer with the Lake County, Illinois Jail on Margarito Vargas-Rosas, a citizen of Mexico, following his arrest on criminal charges in connection with the Greyhound incident.
Margarito Vargas-Rosas’ immigration history:
*On Nov. 23, 2004, Vargas-Rosas was voluntarily returned to Mexico from California.
*On Aug. 31, 2009, Vargas-Rosas was encountered in Marion County, Oregon, after he was arrested on local charges. He was issued a notice to appear in immigration court and released on an order of recognizance.
*On May 18, 2010, Vargas-Rosas was ordered removed by an immigration judge in absentia.
*He was twice deported to Mexico: March 20, 2012, and April 2, 2012.
http://fox6now.com/2018/04/03/man-co...try-illegally/
