An Orland Park man who was shot by Cook County Sheriff’s Police during a violent attack on two women in an apartment building in unincorporated LaGrange Highlands has been charged with home invasion and attempted murder and is expected to be charged with murder, Sheriff Thomas Dart said Friday.
Juan Carlos Perez-Abarca, 35, was charged Wednesday with one count of home invasion and two counts of attempted murder, police said. One of the attempted murder charges was expected to be upgraded to murder after one of the victims died Thursday night in the hospital.
In a statement released Friday, police said the deputy shot Perez-Abarca Monday afternoon after responding to a domestic violence call about 5:30 p.m. in a second-floor apartment in the 6400 block of Joliet Road and officers found him holding a 48-year-old woman at knifepoint with a second 16-year-old victim lying motionless on the floor.
One of the officers ordered Perez-Abarca to release the woman. Perez-Abarca then briefly put the knife to his own throat before starting to stab the woman again. The officer then fired one shot and hit Perez-Abarca in the leg. The officer then began lifesaving measures on the victims and Perez-Abarca, police said.
Both victims were taken to a local hospital by Pleasantview Fire District ambulances. A neighbor said they were a mother and daughter.
“I live on the first floor. They live above me on the second floor,” said Rachel Baker, 37, a neighbor of the two stabbing victims.
“The daughter is 16. She’s a high school student,” Baker said.
“They’re both very nice,” Baker said.
“They take my son into their place if he gets home on the school bus and I’m running late from work,” Baker said.
The mother works at Tony’s Fresh Market, 6704 Joliet Road, Countryside, Baker said.
A manager at the store said he could not comment on whether the woman was an employee. However, a worker confirmed the woman was an employee.
The mother was listed in serious condition Friday but her daughter was pronounced dead at 10:13 p.m. Thursday.
Perez-Abarca was discharged from the hospital Thursday night. He appeared in a wheelchair at the Bridgeview Courthouse Friday for his initial appearance, where he was ordered to be held in custody at the Cook County Jail until his next scheduled court date on September 5.
In court Friday, an assistant state’s attorney informed the judge that the 16-year-old victim died of her injuries Thursday night, and that prosecutors would upgrade the charge to murder against the defendant.
Joe Fischer, 45, said he and his son, Joe Fischer II, 9, were outside when they heard ambulance sirens Monday night. They live just east of the site and walked over for a closer view.
“It’s very unnerving,” he said to have this happen in a “peaceful” community.
Fischer said he saw three people brought out of the apartment building.
“The first person who came out on the stretcher. You could see the blood,” Fischer said.
About 15 residents had gathered to watch the police at the crime scene Monday night.
Cook County Sheriff’s Police handle police calls in the unincorporated LaGrange Highlands community.
Countryside police said there were road closures in the area because of the incident and a large police presence in that area.
Steve Metsch contributed to this report