Mundelein man on parole for 2019 shooting faces felony weapons charges

A 31-year-old Mundelein man on parole in connection with a 2019 shooting outside a school faces new felony weapons charges after authorities say he fled from police while armed with a handgun early Sunday.

Ricardo Perez, of the 400 block of Hickory Street, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of aggravated unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest, Lake County sheriff's police said.

According to the sheriff's office, Perez was arrested after deputies were called to a fight in progress at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday at a motel in the 39000 block of North Sheridan Road in Beach Park. When deputies arrived and knocked at the room where the fight was occurring, Perez jumped out a second-floor window and fled while armed with a pistol, authorities said.

More deputies arrived, including Deputy John Forlenza and canine Dax, who began to track Perez. Dax first located a firearm it's believed Perez discarded in a bush on the north side of the motel, then located Perez hiding behind a trash container in a nearby parking lot, sheriff's police said. Perez refused to surrender, and Dax took him into custody by biting his arm, according to the sheriff's office.

Perez was transported to an area hospital for the dog bite and also a leg injury he sustained when jumping from the second-floor window. He was discharged from the hospital and was in custody at the Lake County jail Sunday awaiting a court appearance.

According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, Perez was paroled in February after serving a four-year sentence for aggravated discharge of a firearm. The charge stemmed from allegations he and a teenager exchanged gunfire during a June 2019 altercation outside the Menta Academy in Waukegan.

Sheriff's police said they are contacting the department of corrections to request a parole violation warrant be issued on Perez.