A man on probation for a gun charge was arrested after prosecutors say he flashed gang signs at other gang members while armed with a gun at the Mexican Independence Day parade in Waukegan.
Luis A. Flores, 20, of Waukegan, was charged with four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, resisting a peace officer causing injury, obstructing identification, resisting a peace officer, disorderly conduct and mob action.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said Flores and a group of friends were at the Mexican Independence Day parade on Sunday in Waukegan.
The group began flashing gang signs at other gang members.
The groups began getting ready to fight and police moved in to attempt to arrest the suspects, Katris said.
An officer on a bicycle chased after Flores but fell to the ground, resulting in an injury to the officer.
Officers caught Flores and he was found with a revolver in his possession, Katris said.
It was fully loaded and Flores does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card or a concealed carry license. He is also under 21.
Katris said the parade is a community event where residents and visitors come to celebrate Mexican Independence, calling Flores’ actions “reckless” and saying he is a threat to the community.
Court records show Flores is on felony probation and in the first-time gun offender program after pleading guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, an offense that occurred in April 2021 in Waukegan.
Prosecutors filed a petition to detain Flores in the Lake County Jail.
Attorney Robert T. Ritacca, who is representing Flores, said in court his client was at the parade with his family when a fight began.
Ritacca asked for Flores’ release from jail after arguing the charges against Flores were probationable.
Katris argued the opposite and said the charges against Flores are non-probationable. He faces one to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections if convicted.
Ritacca said his client has been compliant with his probation since he was placed on it in March 2022.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak said he could not think of a worse probation violation than the incident that Flores has been charged in.
Potkonjak ordered Flores detained in the jail pending his trial and until further court order.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 19.