A Crystal Lake teen who is a globally ranked skateboarder is accused of beating a person with a skateboard, causing “significant injuries,” including a fractured skull and brain bleed, in the early hours of Thursday at the downtown Crystal Lake train station, according to authorities.
Gabriel R. Schuch, 19, is charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place, both Class 3 felonies, according to court records and police.
The Crystal Lake Police Department said it responded to a call at around midnight Wednesday night for a reported battery on East Woodstock Street. First responders arrived to find a person who suffered “significant injuries,” according to a Crystal Lake Police news release. That person was transported to a nearby hospital and, according to authorities, reported knowing the person who battered them.
“During the investigation, it was determined that the suspect used a skateboard to strike the victim in the head during the incident,” officials said in the release.
According to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County courthouse, Schuch is accused of striking the victim “in the head and face with the wheels/axel of a skateboard” while at the Crystal Lake Downtown Metra Station, causing a “fractured skull and brain bleed.”
Nearly two hours later, around 2 a.m. Thursday, Schuch was located in the area of Interstate 80 and the Tri-State Tollway in Lansing, near the Indiana border. Illinois State Police took Schuch into custody without incident, and he was taken to McHenry County jail, police said in the release.
Schuch was set to appear in court Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors filed a petition to deny Schuch pretrial release, arguing Schuch poses willful flight and a “real and present threat to the safety” of a person or people in the community.
At 17 years old, Schuch became a globally ranked street skateboarder, regularly traveling around the world to compete. Based on competition results over the past two years, Schuch currently ranks 266th globally in men’s skateboarding.
Crystal Lake police are currently investigating the matter and asked anyone with information to contact authorities at 815-356-3620. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the word CLPDTIP along with information to 847411.