One of the three suspects is in custody after authorities say they robbed a man, who was with his child, in the parking lot of a Gurnee store and shot at him.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kailey Hopkins said the Gurnee Police Department was dispatched around 9:30 p.m. on April 11 for a report of a theft of a GMC Sierra short bed in the parking lot of Menards, 6401 Grand Avenue.
Officers spoke to the victim, who reported he was in the parking lot of the store to sell the short bed after arranging with a buyer on Facebook Marketplace.
The Facebook profile of the buyer was not the real name of the subject. Hopkins said it was later identified to be Carlos Arvizu, 18, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The victim and Arvizu arranged to meet at the Menards as the victim lives in Aurora and Arvizu was coming from Wisconsin.
The victim, his girlfriend and their child were in their vehicle when Arvizu and two other Hispanic male subjects arrived, Hopkins said.
Arvizu and the victim moved the short bed onto Arvizu’s truck bed.
Hopkins said Arvizu began to drive off without paying when the victim jumped on the back of the truck and tried to take the short bed back.
Arvizu and a second subject exited their vehicle and pointed the gun at the victim before shooting at him, Hopkins said.
The victim said he could feel the bullet go past his head.
Hopkins said surveillance video showed Arvizu get out of the driver’s seat and drag the victim off of the truck by his ankles.
Multiple witnesses were interviewed and corroborated the victim’s events of the incidents.
Children were nearby in a restaurant and saw the suspect vehicle drive past after they heard gunshots.
A search warrant was executed on the fake Facebook profile that Arvizu had used. Arvizu had posted photos to the account of himself brandishing a firearm, Hopkins said.
Phone records were obtained for Arvizu and showed him traveling from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and travel south to Gurnee.
His phone was in the area of the Gurnee Menards at the time of the armed robbery, Hopkins said.
The victim positively identified Arvizu in a photo line-up.
Arvizu was charged with armed robbery discharging a firearm and armed robbery armed with a firearm, both Class X felonies.
Arvizu was taken into custody last Tuesday and held in the Lake County Jail.
Hopkins argued that Arvizu is a danger to the community because he orchestrated an armed robbery in public just days after his 18th birthday.
“Instead, his age and his actions show his lack of self-control and his lack of concern of safety and lives in the community,” Hopkins said.
Attorney Gregory Nikitas asked the court to release his client with strict pre-trial conditions. He argued that Arvizu was not alleged to have fired the weapon involved and that he lacks any criminal history.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted a petition to detain Arvizu pending trial following a detention hearing on Thursday.
The judge noted the offense is a crime of violence and that others were present at the time of the shooting and robbery, which occurred in public.
“It’s clear to me that this defendant does pose a danger to the community at large,” Nerheim said.
Arvizu is scheduled to appear in court again on December 12 for a preliminary hearing.