Geneva men face mob action charges stemming from fatal crash

An ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fatal car crash early Monday in St. Charles resulted in new charges filed against three Geneva men, police said Friday.

The accident happened about 1 a.m. on Route 31, south of Abbeywood Drive, and involved one car that went off the roadway, according to police. The car collided with a tree and killed the driver, Saul Villanueva, 26, of the 500 block of State Avenue in St. Charles. Two other occupants were taken to area hospitals.

Questioning by St. Charles and South Elgin police this week revealed a brawl involving Villanueva occurred at Tequila's, a tavern in South Elgin, just before the accident.

The altercation involved Villanueva and three men inside Tequila's, 1101 N. LaFox St. The men have been identified as Ivan Perez-Cruz, 26; Jose Julio Hernandez-Jimenez, 23, and Pablo Ceasar Perez-Cruz, 31. All three live at the same residence on the 500 block of Anderson Boulevard.

Eventually the fight moved outside into the parking lot of the establishment. Two other people tried to stop the fight but were also beaten by the three men arguing with Villanueva and 10 to 12 other people who were acquaintances of the three men, police said.

The fatal crash occurred after Villanueva left the scene of the fight.

The three men all face charges of mob action, a class 4 felony, according to police.

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