Roselle man charged in Itasca Fest stabbing

A Roselle man is accused of the weekend stabbing of another man at Itasca Fest, authorities said Monday.

Kristopher W. Sanchez, 21, of 36 W. Thorndale Ave. in Roselle, turned himself into Itasca police early Sunday, officials said. He was charged with three counts of aggravated battery and one count of armed violence, all felonies.

Itasca officials said police responded to reports of a fight just before midnight Saturday as the festival was winding down in Washington Park. Deputy Chief Bob O'Connor said officers discovered a 20-year-old man with a stab wound and other injuries.

The victim was accompanied by two of his friends, who were unharmed. The suspect already had fled.

The victim was taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he was in critical condition and put into intensive care. O'Connor said the man's health has improved and he likely will go home today.

Police do not believe the fight was gang-related, O'Connor said, and all the people at the scene were from the Itasca and Roselle areas.

"It was really kind of a macho thing," said O'Connor. "You've got a case of three or four guys walking to a car, another three or four guys heading toward the grounds. Somebody shoves a shoulder into somebody, they have words, then it gets physical."

Police launched a search early Sunday morning for the suspect based on witness descriptions. Sanchez turned himself into Itasca police just after 4 a.m. Sunday and confessed to the stabbing, O'Connor said.

"We had been in contact with people who knew him and of his whereabouts and we encouraged them to have him turn himself in," O'Connor said.

Sanchez appeared in bond court at 4 p.m. Monday after he refused to attend an 8:30 a.m. bond hearing, officials said. His bail was set at $750,000 and he remained in DuPage County jail early Monday evening, said officials.

O'Connor said such violence is not typical at Itasca Fest, where police ordinarily handle minor disagreements between couples or teens, lost items or minor injuries.

"This is a family-oriented, four-day fest and this is out of the norm," he said. "We show a presence, but people are out there looking for a good time, not looking to cause problems."