Sketches of Lake County shooting suspects released

Lake County sheriff's police released sketches of the two suspects in the Sunday night shooting of a pair of restaurant employees during a botched robbery attempt.

The suspects are accused of trying to rob the Silo restaurant near Lake Bluff. The pair are also accused of shooting the employees while trying to herd their hostages into a closet.

Sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Thompson said the sketches were drawn from witness descriptions.

"We hope the sketches are helpful in identifying these people," Thompson said. "Someone must know who these men are and we need them to tell us."

Thompson said the attempted robbery began around 10 p.m., just as a waitress brought the men their check for the meal they had spent 90 minutes eating.

The men announced the robbery and told about a dozen customers and employees in the eatery to march toward a closet.

As they were taking cell phones from the victims and trying to get them into the closet, one employee broke from the crowd and ran toward a back door.

A single shot was fired, which missed the man trying to escape, but struck a 27-year-old employee in the upper right arm. The bullet passed through his arm and into the back of a 31-year-old male employee, eventually coming to a stop in his abdomen.

The younger employee has been released from the hospital, Thompson said, but the second victim remains in serious condition.

The men, described as 30 to 40 years old, fled with nothing. Police said they believe they escaped in a red Ford Taurus they parked across the street from the restaurant.

Police took the dishes and glasses the men used during their meal to a crime lab, where they are being examined for evidence, Thompson said.

They are also examining security videotapes from the restaurant and the auto dealership lot where the Ford was parked, Thompson said.

The Silo is a popular family restaurant that has operated at its Route 176 location since 1968.