Three held in Prospect Hts. shooting

Three suspects were in court Thursday, a day after gunshots rattled the area around several Prospect Heights apartments — just as buses were bringing children home from school.

Police say it was a little after 3 p.m. Wednesday when a 26-year-old man drove a truck into a parking lot on the 600 block of Piper Lane. He saw three young men flashing gang signs at him.

He got out of the car and told them he wasn’t in a gang, police say, but one of them threw a full beer can at the car, breaking a window, and then started hitting the man.

The victim managed to escape and get back into his truck, where a young woman was a passenger, police said.

He drove over the curb in an attempt to get away, one witness said, but not before one of the men fired at him — between three and six times, according to witnesses. No one was hit.

“It could have been horrifying,” said one witness, who asked to not be identified for fear of gang retribution — and who said he hid in his truck when the gunfire began.

“Kids could have been shot or run over.”

Police said the shooter was Carlos Teran, 19, of the 600 block of Piper Lane, Prospect Heights. His bail was set Thursday at $35,000 on charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and felony mob action.

Michael Bahena, 18, of the 500 block of Piper Lane, was charged with felony mob action. His bail was set at $20,000.

A 15-year-old juvenile was also charged with mob action.

Police Chief Jamie Dunne said a school bus was discharging students near the parking lot, and another bus was not far away.

Several students along with several parents witnessed the gunfire, police said.

“There were several school buses, and students were exiting and walking through that lot,” said Dunne. “There were a lot of people outdoors and food vendors in the area.”

The apartments are adjacent to a shopping center and a park.

On Thursday afternoon, children got off their buses as usual. Some of them were aware of Wednesday’s shooting, others were not.

A 14-year-old girl said she arrived home soon after the shooting and saw police as soon as she got off her school bus.

Many school buses stop daily at the apartment complexes between 3 and 4 p.m. Residents said gunfire is rare.

Some residents said the neighborhood has seemed safer since a police surveillance camera was installed nearby at Burning Tree and Apple Drive.

Dunne said witnesses gave police good leads, and arresting the three suspects was not difficult.

“Many good citizens made us aware of what was going on and where people were running to,” he said.

When police arrived, the offenders had already run away in various directions. Witnesses described the suspects, and when officers located them they fled and were apprehended after a short foot chase, Dunne said. The whole thing took about 20 minutes.

The gun, a Star 9-mm automatic handgun, was recovered, the chief said.

Dunne, who started as Prospect Heights police chief Monday after 30 years on the Buffalo Grove force, said the staff he inherited is aware of the gang activity going on in the area.

“Gang activity is not local; it is regional,” Dunne said. “The cooperation of all area law enforcement agencies is needed. That communication is occurring.”

He praised his officers and those from Mount Prospect and Wheeling who assisted Wednesday, saying that because of their work, “a tragedy was averted.”