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Police charge three men in Sunday's Wauconda apartment break-in, shooting

A 26-year-old Chicago man was surrounded, slashed at and eventually shot by three opposing gang members who had burst into his girlfriend's Wauconda apartment Sunday night and attacked him in bed, authorities said during a Lake County bond hearing Thursday.

A three-and-a-half-day manhunt ended with the arrests of Jose Alfredo Dominguez-Eleperez, 26, of Wheeling, Noe J. Brito-Ramirez, 22, of Crystal Lake, and John A. Nava, 19, of Niles, who were charged in with the break-in and attack, Wauconda police said.

Dominguez and Brito-Ramirez were ordered held on $500,000 by Judge Raymond D. Collins after they were charged with attempted murder, home invasion, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm. Nava is due in bond court Friday, authorities said.

Police have not released the name of the male victim, who survived a gunshot wound to the chest.

His girlfriend and her three children were in the apartment in the 100 block of Main Street during the attack, but were not injured.

"I could not be more proud of our entire department for wrapping this up in such short notice," Wauconda Police Chief Patrick Yost said. "Getting three arrests three and a half days after the shooting is pretty good in my book."

Officials said the victim was visiting his girlfriend when the three rival gang members knocked on the door about 8:30 p.m.

When the woman answered the door, the men forced their way inside and shouted gang slogans, Assistant State's Attorney Lauren Walker said in bond court. They began looking for the victim, and found him in one of the bedrooms, Walker said.

There, authorities said, Nava unsheathed a 12-inch knife and began swiping at the victim while the other two shouted more gang slogans.

The woman - who had put her kids in the bathroom for safety - returned to the bedroom and jumped in the middle of the attack to prevent the victim from being cut, Walker said. Dominguez pulled out a handgun and shot the victim in the chest from about 5 feet away, and narrowly missed the woman's face, Walker said.

The suspects fled the apartment, setting off the manhunt, authorities said.

Yost said Dominguez was arrested Wednesday night at his Wheeling home, and Brito-Ramirez was picked up the same night in Wauconda. Nava was arrested by police in Fox River Grove early Thursday, he said.

In bond court, authorities identified Brito-Ramirez as Brito-Hernandez.

Walker said in bond court the knife was recovered when Nava was arrested. Yost said the handgun identified as the shooting weapon was recovered when Dominguez was arrested.

Wheeling and Niles police assisted in the arrests, along with help from the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force and Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, authorities said.

Dominguez and Brito-Ramirez are scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing June 4. Should they post the required 10 percent of their 500,000 bail, they are not allowed to speak to each other, the victims or have any gang contact, Collins said.

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