A man pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery this week for dumping liquid on a group of teens and parents as they left a Mexican folk dance studio on the Northwest Side in March before threatening to call federal immigration authorities.
In a Cook County courthouse in Belmont Cragin on Tuesday, Judge Daniel Gallagher sentenced Robert Villanueva, 50, to six months of court probation after he pleaded guilty to five counts of misdemeanor battery, according to court records.
The victims hit by the tossed liquid were students at the Ballet Folklorico de Chicago, a dance studio specializing in traditional Mexican dance. Students perform across the city, including recent appearances at the Chicago Transit Authority’s 20th anniversary celebration of the Pink Line and El Grito Chicago.
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The studio said on social media in March that, prior to this violent incident, there had been no prior issues or complaints with neighbors. Ballet Folklorico de Chicago was not immediately available for comment.
The initial incident happened more than six months ago in Avondale. Around 10 p.m. on March 6, Villanueva threw multiple cups containing an “unknown liquid” toward the group, which included four teenagers ranging in age from 13 to 15 as well as three women in their 40s. The man and a woman also “threatened” the group, police said.
Video captured at the 3000 block of North Pulaski Road shows a woman yelling from a neighboring balcony, “You’re lucky ICE is not here.” Villanueva then comes out a door carrying a cup and throws a clear liquid toward the ground where the dancers and parents were standing, the video shows. The recording gained traction on social media when it was posted in a Belmont Cragin neighborhood group.