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5 men charged, 8 firearms seized at Waukegan home

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Updated  December 7, 2022 10:23pm CST
Zion
FOX 32 Chicago
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WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Five suburban men were arrested, and several firearms were seized at a Waukegan home Monday. 

According to authorities, Zion Police Department detectives arrested several people and seized eight firearms while investigating a recent violent crime.

Since Nov. 16, the Zion Police Department Street Crime Unit (SCU) has spent numerous hours conducting follow-ups, compiling data and sifting through evidence in this case, authorities said.

As a result of their investigation, search warrants and arrest warrants were obtained, and an operation was planned to take the offenders into custody.

Detectives located several principal targets at a house on Atlantic Avenue in Waukegan, authorities said.

Due to the violent weapons related history with these individuals and known connections to the Maniac Latin Disciple street gang, the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System Emergency Team was called to assist in serving the warrant, authorities said.

As the Emergency Team was arriving, four people fled form the residence and tried to escape in a vehicle.

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All four subjects who fled were apprehended, and three firearms were recovered along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, authorities said. 

The residence was then secured, and five additional people were detained.

Five more firearms, ammunition, powdered cocaine, cannabis, gang indicia and burglary proceeds were found during a search of the residence. 

Five people were charged as a result of the investigation. 

Those individuals include: 

  • Anthony Gallegos, 21, Waukegan was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
  • Ricardo Cruz, 36, of Waukegan was charged with two counts of unlawful use of weapon.
  • Gregorio Gomez, 33, of Waukegan, was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a parole violation.
  • Arian Vazquez, 19, of Zion, was charged with aggravated domestic battery and forgery.
  • Carlos Colon, 22, of Zion, was charged with unlawful possession of ammunition (no FOID).

The additional subjects detained during the operation were released without charges at this time, police said.

Additional charges are pending laboratory and forensic digital analysis.