Three charged after teenager pistol-whipped in park robbery in Vernon Hills

Three men have been arrested and charged after a 16-year-old was pistol-whipped and robbed at Century Park in Vernon Hills. A fourth suspect remains outstanding.

Three arrested after teen beaten and robbed at Vernon Hills park

Three men have been arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery at Century Park in Vernon Hills in which a 16-year-old boy was pistol-whipped and suffered a serious head injury, suntci.com reports. A fourth suspect remains outstanding.

Anthony Watson, 20, of Vernon Hills; Cesar Santos, 18, of Waukegan; and Charles Lynch, 18, of Lake Villa, each face charges of armed robbery, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery in a public place, and theft under $500.

Vernon Hills Police responded around 4 p.m. Thursday to the Vernon Hills Park District maintenance building at 1400 Indianwood Drive following a report of an armed robbery. Officers issued an alert to area law enforcement agencies, describing at least three male suspects who fled in a gray 2016 Dodge Charger registered to a home in Lake Villa. The vehicle was last seen heading northbound on Route 21 from Cater Lane in Libertyville.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Monica Lamphere said the robbery took place at Century Park, near the maintenance building. The victim had gone to the park with a friend — who is alleged to have acted as an accomplice — to smoke cannabis. The friend told the victim that others would be joining them. Lynch, Santos and Watson subsequently arrived, and Lynch struck the 16-year-old, who attempted to fight back. The others then joined the attack.

Santos pistol-whipped the victim in the head multiple times, Lamphere said. The boy, bleeding profusely, sought help at the nearby park district building, where an employee called for first responders. The Countryside Fire Protection District treated the victim at the scene before he was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he received 11 stitches.

The group, including the victim's friend, fled in the Dodge Charger, later determined to belong to Lynch's father. They took the victim's backpack, which contained between $150 and $200 and a replica gun.

Investigators went to Lynch's home in Lake Villa and detained him. During an interview, Lynch told officers the group had planned the robbery in advance. According to Lamphere, Lynch said the victim regularly posted images of guns and money on Snapchat, which prompted the group — aided by the victim's friend — to plan the attack. Messages found on Lynch's phone between the suspects referenced bringing a firearm to the robbery.

Lynch also told investigators that Santos had pistol-whipped the victim, though no firearms were found in Santos' possession at the time of his arrest. Santos declined to provide a statement to police.

All three defendants remain held at the Lake County Jail and are scheduled to appear at a detention hearing Monday afternoon. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office has filed petitions to detain them pending trial. The victim's friend, identified as a participant in the planning of the robbery, has not yet been charged.

Source: Google News TC — Crime