2 arrested in Lake County murder-for-hire plot

Two men have been arrested in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that involved a shooting in Beach Park on Nov. 5, Lake County sheriff’s police said.

About 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, Lake County sheriff’s deputies learned from Waukegan police that a gunshot victim was driven to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan.

The 46-year-old man was shot outside his home in the 38400 block of North Sheridan Road in Beach Park. He was flown from Vista East Medical Center to a Level-1 trauma center, where he remains in critical condition, police said.

A preliminary investigation showed the man was shot while he was warming up his vehicle before heading to work at about 5:20 a.m., authorities said.

After he was shot, a relative drove the man to the hospital, police said.

Lake County sheriff’s detectives determined a suspicious vehicle was seen driving slowly through the area on Tuesday, Nov. 4. After reviewing video surveillance from the neighborhood, detectives found a vehicle matching the description and obtained the license plate using the Flock Safety license plate reader network. It confirmed the vehicle was in the area around the time of the shooting, authorities said.

Detectives notified local law enforcement, including the Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, Police Department, that the vehicle possibly was used in an attempted homicide.

The vehicle registered owner was believed to live in Mount Pleasant.

On Wednesday, Mount Pleasant police found the vehicle’s owner, Cristian N. Ruval-Cavatorres, 28, of the 1400 block Mount Pleasant, operating a different vehicle. Police conducted a traffic stop and took Ruval-Cavatorres into custody, authorities said.

After speaking with Ruval-Cavatorres, Lake County sheriff’s detectives determined he was responsible for the shooting. They found evidence indicating Ruval-Cavatorres was hired by someone to shoot and kill the Beach Park man.

Sheriff’s detectives conducted a search and recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the attempted homicide and a telephone Ruval-Cavatorres likely used to communicate with the person who hired him to commit the murder, authorities said.

Detectives found and detained the person who hired Ruval-Cavatorres in the 1600 block of Park Avenue, North Chicago, on Thursday. He remains in custody, pending charges.

Ruval-Cavatorres is charged with felony attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm. He is being held in the Racine County Jail, pending extradition to Lake County, authorities said.