Thread: Gang beatings and vandalism spree

4 charged in beatings, vandalism spree

October 25, 2006
By DAN MORAN Dmoran@scn1.com
WAUKEGAN -- Four young men described by police as gang members were arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated battery and aggravated robbery after allegedly pulling two men from a car near Glen Flora Avenue and Pine Street and beating them for cash.
The arrests came as police officers were converging on the area due to reports of windshields being smashed by a group of men carrying a metal pipe. One of the men arrested for the robbery, 18-year-old Diego Flores of Waukegan, was also charged with eight counts of criminal damage in connection with the vandalism.

According to Waukegan police Sgt. Brian Mullin, the activity began around 3:30 a.m. when dispatchers fielded calls about the windshields being smashed. In one call, from the 700 block of Linden Avenue, a woman told police she heard smashing sounds and looked out her window to see a man hitting the windows on her Jeep Cherokee.

Reports state that the woman yelled at the man to stop, and he shouted a gang slogan and cursed at her before running westbound from the scene.

About 15 minutes later, police received a call from a homeowner on the 1000 block of nearby Pine Street about windows being smashed on his 2006 Chevrolet. The owner said he heard popping noises and laughter, then looked out his window to see four men running northbound on Pine.

The Chevrolet owner said he got in his car and pursued the subjects until losing sight of them near Pine and Glen Flora. Reports of other cars damaged in the incident came from both Pine and Linden, and police dispatchers were given descriptions of the four suspects from both the vehicle owners and other eyewitnesses.

Mullin said Tuesday police were alerted to the final location of the alleged offenders when one of the robbery victims broke free -- pulling out of his shirt to escape the attackers -- and ran from the scene, eventually flagging down a squad car investigating the vandalism.

The other robbery victim reportedly suffered a laceration to his head, but did not require medical treatment.

Three of the offenders were juveniles, hailing from Gurnee, Waukegan and Zion, respectively. They were remanded to the Hulse Juvenile Detention Center in Vernon Hills.

Flores reportedly was the sole perpetrator in the vandalism, walking behind the group and striking vehicles with the pipe.


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article

Thanks! I was going to post this too. Just posted it on my town's board. I drove down this street this evening with my children in my car. I normally lock my door anyway, but geez....

I'm emailing my police chief to ask if they are checking the immigration status of these hoodlums.

Welcome to Waukegan....care to buy some property here?!?

I tell ya Fedup......this is just unreal. I mean why? Crazy kicks? No thanks......don't think I want to live there either. Any safe places you know of?