Three men — including two members of a Mexican musical group that had just finished performing — were charged with felonies after a late-night birthday celebration in an Hermosa neighborhood residential garage became violent.
A Mexican ranchera trio had been performing in a garage in the 4700 block of West McLean Avenue when police arrived at 2:40 a.m. May 12 to investigate a noise complaint, prosecutors said.
As officers approached, one was allegedly punched in the face and tackled by two men – Lino Sarabia-Martinez, 24, and Antonio Villa, 43, both residents of the home, prosecutors said.
They allegedly tried to unholster the officer’s handgun during a struggle, prosecutors said. When the officer fell to the ground, his baton was taken and used to hit him twice in the head, according to court records. Another officer used a taser on one of the men, prosecutors said.
A third man, Federico Villa-Martinez, 35, also listed as a resident of the home, allegedly threw a bottle at a police officer before punching him in the nose, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Ericka Graunke said.
A police officer was taken to a nearby hospital and given three staples in his head to close a gash and treated for various abrasions, according to court records.
The party was thrown by Villa for his wife’s birthday, said Merced Martinez, Antonio Villa’s daughter. Antonio Villa’s brother, Villa-Martinez, plays in Dueto Hermanos Martinez, which features two acoustic guitars and an electric bass, along with Lino Sarabia-Martinez.
Merced Martinez said the music had stopped before police arrived. She and her mother had gone into the home to open presents while her father and the others stayed in the garage to have a beer and relax. Soon after, the women were surprised by police lights and the sound of a brawl, she said Sunday outside bond court.
“They had my dad and my uncle on the floor, and they were hitting on him pretty good,” Merced Martinez said. As police used their baton to hit one of the men’s hands, she said she begged them to stop, but was threatened with arrest.
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Villa-Martinez, Sarabia-Martinez and Villa were each charged with aggravated battery to police. Villa-Martinez was also charged with aggravated assault. Sarabia-Martinez and Villa were additionally charged with attempting to disarm a peace officer.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil set bond for each man was set at $100,000.