Rolling Meadows men charged in Mt. Prospect drive-by shooting
Two Rolling Meadows men have been charged with a drive-by shooting that injured a man earlier this month in Mount Prospect.
Eduardo Castro, 17, of the 3000 block of Swallow Lane, and Julio Avila, 21, of the 5600 block of Tinder, have been charged with aggravated battery involving the discharge of a firearm. Cook County Judge Joseph Cataldo on Wednesday set bail at $300,000 for Avila, and $150,000 for Castro, both of whom were ordered to have no contact with witnesses.
Prosecutors say Castro was driving the vehicle around 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5 and Avila fired three rounds at several men standing by a large trash bin near a gas station and convenience store on Dempster Street. Injured in the shooting was a 21-year-old Arlington Heights man, whose wounds were not life-threatening, police said. The men were unable to get the car's license plate number, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth Brogan. However, Mount Prospect police received information that Castro was one of the car's occupants.
A Rolling Meadows police officer viewed convenience store surveillance video showing the vehicle and identified it as belonging to Castro, Brogan said.
After their arrest Monday, both defendants said an unknown gang member approached the vehicle with a brick, after which Avila pulled a gun from the center console and fired three shots, Brogan said.
Neither Avila nor Castro have any criminal background, Brogan said. If convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison.
They next appear in court on Dec. 12.