A 69-year-old Glenview man was arrested Sept. 27 on felony hate crime and aggravated battery charges and accused of beating a victim with a metal pipe, according to Glenview police.
According to Glenview Deputy Police Chief Mark Ciesla, Randy Velleff, of the 1700 block of Grove Avenue, was in an argument with a victim on June 30, which led Velleff to beat the victim with a metal pipe. The victim defended himself with a knife and cut Velleff near his neck. Both men were treated at area hospitals.
Glenview police recovered both weapons from the incident, but neither of the men were charged with a crime then, Ciesla said. The victim has not been charged to date.
Regarding why Velleff was not arrested at the crime scene, Ciesla said, “It was a continuing investigation. There were facts to the case that needed to be investigated, and both men were treated at the hospital. So, you know, obviously, people’s injuries come before police investigations.”
Ciesla said the investigation of the incident was ongoing at the time Velleff surrendered himself to the police department Sept. 27 and that the police department had not yet issued a warrant for his arrest. Cook County Court documents state that Velleff “made admissions” to the department about his involvement in the June incident, in which he called the victim a racial slur and threatened that the victim was going to be deported.
Ciesla said he could not speak to whether the admissions made by Velleff were equivalent to a confession.
Velleff’s initial pretrial hearing was held Sept. 28. Judge Ankur Srivastava approved a petition from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to keep Velleff under custody during the pretrial process. Velleff’s attorney, Andrea Gambino, filed a healthcare order for Velleff to be evaluated by healthcare personnel due to Velleff’s high blood pressure, pain due to nerve damage in his hands and feet, a gastrointestinal issue and coronary artery disease.
Velleff’s next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4 at the Skokie Courthouse. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.