Round Lake Beach woman escapes gasoline attack

A 19-year-old Fox Lake man is accused of breaking into a Round Lake Beach home and attacking a female resident by dousing her with gasoline Friday.

Ricardo Rodriguez, of the 0-100 block of Lippincott Road, Fox Lake, faces felony charges of two counts of home invasion, two counts of aggravated battery, armed violence and aggravated unlawful restraint, Round Lake Beach police said.

Police received a 911 call from a distraught woman around 10 p.m. Friday. The victim had escaped from the home in the 0-100 block of West Dahlia Lane and called police from a neighbor’s house, police said.

When authorities arrived, the victim told police a masked male confronted her in the house. The two struggled and the victim, whom police have not identified, suffered a cut on her finger and the attacker poured a petroleum-based liquid on her body, police said.

Officers established a safety perimeter around the house believing the suspect was still inside and called in the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System’s Emergency Services Team, but the suspect was no longer there, authorities said.

As a result of the investigation, the victim’s statement and forensic evidence, police arrested Rodriguez at his Fox Lake home.

Police believe the attack was planned and directed toward another family member living in that house.

The victim was treated and released at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

Rodriguez remains in police custody until a bond hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday morning at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan.