A third suspect has been arrested after a group of up to 10 robbed and kidnapped three victims at gunpoint in Cook County before restraining, beating and torturing them at a Woodstock home last year.
The incident occurred on the evening of February 10, 2023, at 622 East Northwest Highway in Des Plaines.
The Des Plaines Police Department said six to 10 masked suspects, who were armed with rifles and handguns, entered the car dealership.
Two men and a woman were robbed of their belongings.
Two of the victims own the dealership and the third victim is an employee, police said.
The offenders then bound the victims’ hands and feet, covered their heads and forced them into a vehicle.
The victims were taken to a home in Woodstock after being forced into the car, prosecutors said.
Once at the residence, the victims were restrained, beaten and tortured by several of the suspects until the early morning hours of February 11, 2023.
The suspects repeatedly beat them and burned them with a hot metal object, police said.
The victims were told they had to pay the offenders a substantial amount of money and were threatened with further violence if they did not pay, police said.
They were later returned to the car dealership and contacted the police department.
Investigators believe the victims, two of whom own a car dealership, were specifically targeted.
Police initially identified two of the suspects involved as George P. Athanasakos, 25, of Wood Dale, and Brandon D. Bratcher, 28, of Hanover Park.
Athanasakos and Bratcher were recognized by one of the victims during the attack.
The two had prior dealings with the victims involving buying and refurbishing vehicles, police said.
Athanasakos and Bratcher were charged with three counts of aggravated kidnapping and three counts of armed robbery. Bratcher was additionally charged with one count of residential burglary.
Athanasakos was taken into custody in February 2023 in Palatine and Batcher was taken into custody in March 2023 in Arlington Heights.
On Friday, police announced they had made a third arrest in the case as part of their yearlong investigation.
Eric Grens, 33, of Woodstock, was charged with three counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated battery.
Investigators were able to identify Grens as a “significant participant” in the crimes through phone forensics.
Communications between Grens and a co-defendant were recovered.
Police said Grens coordinated the kidnappings and gave instructions to take the victims to his residence, located in the 11300 block of Ballard Road in Woodstock.
Grens told the same co-defendant to knock the victim’s teeth out and “make them feel like they were going to die,” police said.
Grens also allegedly said the victims should have been forced to sign over the titles of the vehicles associated with the Des Plaines car dealership.
Additional physical evidence was recovered from Grens’ residence last year when investigators executed a search warrant.
The physical evidence recovered confirmed the victims were at the residence and confirmed they were beaten badly, police said.
Investigators have executed multiple search warrants since last year and also have been awaiting the return of electronic and physical evidence.
Grens was taken into custody on Wednesday in the parking lot of Costco, 250 North Randall Road in Lake in the Hills, by members of the Des Plaines Police Department.
He was expected to appear for a detention hearing on Friday.