Three suspects armed with guns attacked a victim during a robbery in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Waukegan where one of them threatened to kill the victim and his family.
The Waukegan Police Department responded around 12:09 p.m. on December 13 to the parking lot of Cinnamon Lake Towers, 2625 Glen Flora Avenue in Waukegan.
A 911 caller reported his friend was being kidnapped and there were masked men with guns who would not let his friend out of the vehicle, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon.
Officers found the victim at the scene with broken glasses and blood all over his face.
Officers spoke to the victim and the 911 caller, also determined to be a victim in the crime.
Cannon said the first victim reported that the suspect was a longtime friend, identified as Oscar Velez, 35, of Waukegan.
Officers later pinged Velez’s cellphone and found him in his Jeep in North Chicago and took him into custody.
He allowed police to search his Jeep and they found one of the victims’ wallets in the car, Cannon said. Velez had $880 in cash on his person.
The first victim was interviewed at the Waukegan Police Department and told detectives that Velez had been pushing him to hang out all day so he finally agreed to have lunch with Velez at a taco restaurant at Sunset Avenue and Green Bay Road.
Cannon said Velez told the victim he would meet him there and to order food for him. Velez showed up 45 minutes late.
Velez asked the victim to borrow his phone to call his own phone to “call his girl to let her know” after saying he left his phone in his Jeep, Cannon said.
Velez took the phone and went to the bathroom for 10 minutes and called his own number. He returned to the table and ate his food.
The first victim said Velez’s behavior was unusual and he seemed to be in a rush while asking who the second person was who was accompanying the first victim, Cannon said.
Velez asked the first victim to drive him to his brother’s residence at Cinnamon Lake Towers.
Velez and the two others got into the truck, with Velez in the backseat. One of the victims told Velez to wait in the car at the apartment complex until his Jeep arrived due to the freezing cold.
Cannon said one of the victims saw the Jeep pull up and park behind their truck, at which point Velez pulled out a gun and pointed it at both victims while saying, “You know what time it is, give me all your s–t!”
The second victim was able to get out of the truck and run to a nearby elementary school.
The first victim said he got out of his truck and made it about five feet before he was tripped by two masked men who emerged from the Jeep.
The suspects grabbed at him and went through his pockets as Velez was still inside the truck giving orders to the two men.
All three suspects then punched the first victim before Velez told the other two, “Let’s go”, and they fled in the Jeep, Cannon said.
The first victim told investigators he thought he was going to be kidnapped and he told the other victim to call 911.
The second victim told investigators that he saw the two suspects attack his friend and drag him to the backseat of the truck.
The second victim saw his friend’s face covered in blood and his glasses broken.
Cannon said Velez responded by saying, “You better not call the [expletive] police” before telling him that he was going to order the other two suspects to shoot and kill him and his family.
Velez allegedly told the first victim that he needed to give him $10,000 to $20,000 by the end of the day. The victim only had $800-$900 on his person before he was attacked.
Velez was positively identified in a photo lineup. Velez told investigators he went to lunch with the other two men and let two people borrow his Jeep.
Velez confirmed that while he was in the victim’s truck, his Jeep pulled up and two men got out wearing ski masks, Cannon said.
He claimed he had no involvement in the armed robbery but left with the two suspects after he saw them attack the first victim.
Velez said he learned later that the first victim was attacked by the two suspects because higher-up Latin King gang members ordered it, Cannon said.
Velez denied possessing a gun but said that one of the suspects had a gun. He said the money found on his person was his rent money.
He was charged with armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated robbery, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Cannon said Velez is a convicted felon and is awaiting sentencing for an armed habitual criminal conviction in a 2023 Lake County case.
He has prior separate convictions in Lake County for a shooting and an armed robbery.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Velez pending trial, which was granted by Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim following a detention hearing where Velez did not seek pre-trial release.
“When he ambushed the victims with a firearm, and one victim instructed the other to call police, the Defendant warned them not to contact law enforcement. This Defendant has an egregious criminal history, and, based on the facts and circumstances of this case, detention is the only way to mitigate the threat that he poses,” Cannon said.
One of the other suspects involved has been identified. It is unknown if the third suspect has been identified yet.
Velez remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on March 11 for an arraignment hearing.