Prosecutors say a stranger followed a woman into her home in the middle of the night, stole her loaded gun and then pointed the firearm directly at her before a struggle ensued in Highwood.
The Highwood Police Department responded around 2:18 a.m. on August 2 to a residence in Highwood for a report of an unknown male breaking into the home, stealing a firearm and fleeing on foot.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said the victim told officers she was outside working on things in her garage when an unknown Hispanic male entered the garage.
She told him to leave and the man said he was sorry that he was at the wrong place.
The victim had a bad feeling about the man and she closed her garage and went into her house, McConnell said.
She continued to feel uneasy once inside her home so she loaded her handgun.
The homeowner put the gun down on the stairs after a minute and went to the bathroom.
She exited the bathroom and heard her back door slam shut and saw the same Hispanic male from earlier. He was pointing her firearm directly at her at an arm’s length away, McConnell said.
The victim grabbed the gun and pointed it upwards away from her but the suspect was pushing the gun back pointed at her while pushing her backwards.
The homeowner was able to push the suspect down the stairs and he ran out of the house.
Officers were provided a description of the offender and they believed him to be Armando Flores-Aguilera, 31, of Highland Park.
McConnell said officers went to areas where they knew Flores-Aguilera to be present and they located him outside of the mother of his children’s house.
He was armed with the stolen loaded firearm and pointing it upward, McConnell said. Officers ordered him to drop the gun and took him into custody.
Officers spoke to Flores-Aguilera’s children’s mother and other family members inside the residence where Flores-Aguilera was caught standing outside.
One of the family members said he heard knocking at the door earlier and answered it to find Flores-Aguilera brandishing a gun. Flores-Aguilera told the family he was there to kill one of them, McConnell said.
Flores-Aguilera admitted to breaking into the first victim’s home and pointing the gun and stealing it before going to the mother of his children’s home with the stolen gun.
Flores-Aguilera said he had been drinking since 7 a.m. that day and that he did not know why he did what he did but that he was drunk and it was stupid, McConnell said.
Flores-Aguilera does not have a Firearm Owner’s Identification card or concealed carry license.
He also has an active Clear and Present Danger Report filed against him by the Highland Park Police Department prohibiting him from possessing weapons.
At the time of his arrest, Flores-Aguilera was on pre-trial release for driving under the influence in Lake County where he was involved in a crash while driving with a blood alcohol content of more than five times the legal limit, McConnell said. He had an active failure to appear warrant in the case.
Flores-Aguilera was indicted by a Lake County grand jury on August 27 on charges of home invasion with a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, three counts of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and criminal trespass to residence with a person present.
“This Defendant’s actions are incredibly troubling in that he broke into a random persons home, stole a firearm, threatened the homeowner with the firearm and physically fought her over it, then fled and took the stolen firearm to his children’s mother’s house and expressed his intent to kill her brother, all while intoxicated and on conditions of release, and expressly prohibited from possessing firearms because he was deemed to be a clear and present danger,” McConnell said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Flores-Aguilera pending trial and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the request.
Flores-Aguilera remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on October 1 for a case management conference.