Two charged in mistaken ID beatings in Villa Park

Two men identified as high-ranking members of the Latin Kings street gang were jailed Wednesday on charges they beat and robbed two men in Villa Park in back-to-back cases of mistaken identity.

Both victims - one of whom was beaten in the head with a baseball bat - were left bloodied and alone in the street early Sunday. Prosecutors said the suspects thought the victims were gang rivals.

"These attacks were brutal and vicious and without provocation," Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Lindt said in bond court. "Both victims have suffered permanent injuries."

DuPage County Judge Elizabeth Sexton set bail at $350,000 each for Jeremy Rush, 20, of Addison, and Nicolas Sanchez, 18, of Burr Ridge. Both men face charges of aggravated battery, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery.

The first attack happened about 12:15 a.m. Sunday near Ardmore Avenue and Division Street. Prosecutors said two men were walking home from their jobs at a pizza parlor when the defendants pulled up in a Chevy Tahoe, got out and chased them.

One of the victims escaped, Lindt said, while the other was "brutally and repeatedly" struck in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. She said the victim had no money and crawled home after being left in the street. He was later hospitalized with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and large, open gashes to the front and back of his head.

The second attack happened between 3 and 4 a.m. on Cornell Avenue near the Union Pacific train lot. Lindt said a man was walking home from visiting a friend when he heard footsteps and was then repeatedly punched in the head and kicked by two men. The suspects rifled through his pockets, taking $140, and snatched his White Sox baseball cap. He was later treated for multiple bruises, abrasions and a possible broken nose.

Lindt said police obtained witness statements describing the attacks and identifying Rush and Sanchez as high-ranking members of the Latin Kings street gang. She said the defendants incorrectly believed both victims were members of a rival gang - the first because of his black work uniform - despite their screams and pleas to the contrary.

Rush and Sanchez were arrested after police stopped them in a Chevy Tahoe and found a bloody baseball bat, Lindt said. She said a juvenile girl in the vehicle was wearing the second victim's White Sox hat, and the defendants each had blood on their shoes. Sanchez also had a $20 bill linked to the second victim because of an orange highlighter marking, as well as the victim's wallet, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Rush and Sanchez had prior arrests as juveniles for beating a few years ago a 16-year-old boy they incorrectly believed was a rival gang member. Lindt said the boy pleaded with the defendants as he was repeatedly punched in the face. He required corrective surgery.

Rush, of the 0-100 block of East Blecke Avenue, and Sanchez, of the 7200 block of Giddings Avenue, are scheduled to appear June 11 before Judge Robert Kleeman. They would each need $35,000 to bond out of jail.