Friends and family of a man who remains in critical condition after a confrontation with police at a suburban gas station gathered for a vigil outside of the Round Lake Beach Police Department Wednesday, calling for answers and a thorough investigation of the incident.
According to police, 21-year-old Abel Rosiles is still alive at a local hospital, but is not showing any brain activity at this time.
Rosiles was allegedly the subject of multiple 911 calls at a Thornton’s gas station on June 11. According to police, a victim had called 911 from the gas station early that evening, saying that a person was in the store yelling and screaming, but the individual fled the scene before police arrived.
A second 911 call went out later that night after an employee pushed a panic button. When police arrived, they spoke to the employee, who said that Rosiles had been shouting and was threatening them.
Rosiles began shouting at police, according to a press release from the department, and was taken into custody.
Officers placed Rosiles into custody for disorderly conduct, but as they were walking him to a squad car, he fled on foot and made it about 30 feet before being detained again by police. The arresting officer was able to take him back into custody, but then officers noticed that he was having trouble breathing.
Officers began to attempt the Heimlich Maneuver after Rosiles indicated that he was choking, but were unsuccessful in dislodging the item in his throat.
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Paramedics were called to the scene after Rosiles began to lose consciousness, and eventually they were able to clear his airway, pulling a bag of white powder out of his throat. The substance inside the bag was later determined to be cocaine when police used a field testing kit, according to authorities.
Rosiles was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he remains hospitalized.
Those attendees at the vigil dispute the official narrative, saying that surveillance footage from inside the gas station does not match what police have said happened that night, and they are demanding a full investigation to find out why.
“He’s a healthy young man with no criminal record, with no ties to criminals,” family attorney Frank Avila said.
During the vigil, family and friends of Rosiles verbally confronted the Round Lake Beach police chief, demanding answers in the case and demanding the release of any additional videos of the incident.
Authorities say that videos are still being collected, and are expected to be released at a later date.
Meanwhile, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force has been asked to conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
