Prosecutors say a victim fought back and stabbed a suspect repeatedly after the offender stole the victim’s backpack and began physically attacking him in a parking garage in downtown Waukegan.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Lillian Lewis said the incident unfolded just before 11 p.m. on November 4 at 120 North County Street in Waukegan.
Officers responded to the Lake County parking garage, which is located next to the Lake County Courthouse, for a report of a stabbing.
Detectives learned that the subject who committed the stabbing had come to the police station for help.
The man stated he had been attacked and had to fend off his attacker in self-defense, Lewis said.
Detectives learned the victim had been at the parking garage with his backpack and had used the backpack to prop one of the doors open as he rested in a stairwell of one of the upper portions of the garage.
Lewis said the suspect, later identified as Ledreck K. Kekona, 42, of Waukegan, approached the victim and stole his backpack, which had belongings inside it.
The victim asked Kekona why he was stealing his backpack and Kekona started spitting on the victim before punching the victim in the head and face, Lewis said.
The victim grabbed his backpack and began to flee down the stairs away from Kekona, who pursued him.
Lewis said Kekona caught up with the victim and continued to “pummel” him in the head, face and body.
The victim reached into his backpack to find something to defend himself and grabbed a pair of scissors, swinging them at Kekona.
The victim stabbed Kekona, got up and ran away but Kekona continued to pursue him again, Lewis said.
Lewis said Kekona tackled the victim, who stabbed Kekona again before breaking free and running nearby to the Waukegan Police Department for help.
Kekona was transported to the hospital for his injuries and later taken into custody and charged with theft and battery, both Class A misdemeanors.
Kekona has a felony conviction from Hawaii in 2022 for terror threats and dangerous drugs. He also has a resisting arrest conviction out of McHenry County.
At the time of the incident, Kekona was on pre-trial release in Lake County after being arrested following a Halloween party where he got belligerent with neighbors, made statements about hating police officers and attacked a person holding a small child in Lakemoor.
He was released from custody in that case just three days before he went on to commit the Waukegan incident.
In addition to the Lakemoor incident, Kekona was on pre-trial release for disorderly conduct for making threatening statements on two occasions at the Super 8 motel in Crystal Lake on October 26.
None of the cases are detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act but the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to revoke his pre-trial release in the Lakemoor case after he was arrested in the Waukegan case. Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition.
A public defender for Kekona said his client was stabbed in the neck, leading to him losing consciousness and waking up in a pool of blood.
The attorney also said Kekona’s chest was “carved up” and had a stab wound to his back and questioned the victim’s story that the stabbing was in self-defense.
Kekona remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on December 17 for a status hearing.