Gun pointed at driver during attempted Ingleside robbery

An Ingleside man has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon for brandishing a pistol at a person who was trying to pick a physical fight with him, police officials said.

Miguel Gonzalez, 21, of the 2600 block of Lakeview Lane in Ingleside, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon late Tuesday night, said Lt. Christopher Thompson of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be in bond court later this morning, Thompson said.

Thompson said the incident was called into police at about 7:14 p.m. Tuesday as an attempted armed robbery in Ingleside. However, the investigation revealed the driver of a vehicle involved was not being entirely truthful when interviewed by sheriff deputies.

Thompson said the incident started at about 7 p.m. when the unidentified driver saw Gonzalez and two of his friends at the corner of Rollins Road and Blackhawk Avenue in Ingleside talking.

Thompson said the driver slowed down his vehicle and started to harass Gonzalez and his friends in an attempt to pick a fight with the three people.

However, Thompson said, the three — including Gonzalez — told the driver to just keep moving and leave them alone.

“But, the driver refused to cooperate and continued to try and get them to fight,” Thompson said. “At that point, Gonzalez displayed the wood handle of the handgun to the driver of the vehicle and told him to leave them alone.”

Thompson said the other two people involved in the incident were unaware of the handgun Gonzalez had in his possession.

After seeing the gun, though, the driver went to the end of Blackhawk, did a U-turn, and came back and confronted the three men, Thompson said. Simultaneously, the passenger of the car phoned police to tell them about the gun, calling in officers and deputies from Fox Lake, Round Lake Heights, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

When Gonzalez heard the sirens, Thompson said, he tried to flee the scene. However, sheriff deputies saw Gonzalez running, Thompson said, and saw him throw the gun into vegetation.

He was captured by police quickly, Thompson said, and the 22-caliber gun was recovered.

During questioning, the driver of the car told officers that Gonzalez and his two friends were attempting to rob him at gunpoint, leaving out the fact that he tried to pick a fight with the three, Thompson said.

“It turned out that statement was untrue,” Thompson said. “It was actually the driver of the car that tried to instigate a fight, but Gonzalez and the other two wanted no part of it.”

Thompson said deputies are still reviewing the case and that additional charges could be filed against the driver of the car for trying to instigate a fight and lying to police.

No one was injured in the incident and no shots were ever fired, Thompson said.