Round Lake Beach man pleads not guilty to shooting
A Round Lake Beach man police say wounded two people, including an innocent bystander, while shooting at people he believed had damaged his cars pleaded not guilty Thursday in Lake County circuit court.
Carlos Garcia, 28, faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Assistant State's Attorney Bolling Haxall said Garcia was at his residence in the 1300 block of Cedar Lake Road with a group of people on Sept. 13.
A car drove by containing five or six rival gang members of at least one person at Garcia's house, Haxall said, and someone at the house threw a rock at the car and struck it.
The men in the car drove off and collected golf clubs, pipes and other weapons and returned to Garcia's house to retaliate, Haxall said.
The group began breaking windows out of vehicles parked in the driveway at Garcia's house, Haxall said, apparently unaware that he was sitting in one of the cars.
Garcia got out of the car, went to the trunk and took out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and at least two ammunition magazines, Haxall said.
He began firing at the group attacking the cars, Haxall said, and a 20-year-old Round Lake Beach man was hit in the lower back as the group broke up and ran.
Garcia continued to fire as he chased the group down the street, Haxall said, and at one point fired at a car he believed the attackers had used to drive to his house.
But Haxall said it was a different car unconnected to the dispute, and the 21-year-old Round Lake Beach woman who was driving it was shot through the thigh.
Both victims have been released from the hospital, Haxall said.
Round Lake Beach police were in the area when the shooting began, Haxall said, and officers took Garcia into custody after ordering him to drop the weapon.
Police collected 15 shell casings from the area where the shootings took place, Haxall said.
Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak scheduled a trial of the case for Nov. 30 and ordered Garcia, who is being held on $1 million bond, to appear in court again Nov. 2.