3 charged after chasing people with large knives in suburban Chicago park
Nicholas Pluta | Antioch Police
LAKE COUNTY, Ill - Three men are facing felony charges after allegedly chasing people through an Antioch park while armed with large knives over the weekend.
What we know:
On Saturday night, Antioch police were monitoring the village’s surveillance system, which includes coverage of Sequoit Creek Park, when an officer saw a disturbance involving three people in the park located at 845 Main St. Police said two people were seen armed with large knives.
Officers responded to the park around 9 p.m. and took three people into custody. They were identified as Nicholas Pluta, 21, of Trevor, Wisconsin; Mitchell Alcock, 20, of Volo, Illinois; and Brian Marciniak, 21, of North Chicago, Illinois.
Witnesses reported that the men were carrying large fixed-blade knives. Police said one person was chased through the park before being attacked and additional victims and witnesses were threatened.
Police also alleged that one person held a knife to another person’s throat and threatened to kill them.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office charged each of the three suspects with two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. They also received 11 additional citations for the incident.
Why you should care:
"This kind of violence is inconsistent with our community’s values, and it is not something the Antioch Police Department, the Village, or our residents will tolerate. This was a targeted incident involving known individuals, not a random attack on park patrons," said Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow.
What's next:
Police did not say what caused the disturbance and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Antioch Police Department.