Two Venezuelan Migrants Accused of Robbing ARC Music Festival Attendees
Two Venezuelan migrants found themselves in legal trouble after allegedly robbing attendees of the ARC Music Festival last summer. One of them, Jonas Alcala-Arteaga, 31, was recently sentenced to one year in prison after striking a plea deal with prosecutors. However, the other suspect, Yunior Amaro-Blanco, 25, skipped court and has been on the run ever since.
During the festival, Alcala-Arteaga was apprehended by Chicago police at Union Park on September 1, 2024. An incident occurred where a 37-year-old man from Schaumburg reported that his gold chain and medallion were forcefully taken from him by Alcala-Arteaga after a confrontation. The victim managed to detain Alcala-Arteaga with the help of security personnel after a brief chase.
Alcala-Arteaga was already facing charges for felony possession of a stolen car at the time of the festival incident. As part of his plea deal, he pleaded guilty to felony possession of lost or mislaid property in the chain-snatching case and misdemeanor criminal trespass in the auto theft case. Judge James Novy sentenced him to one year in prison for the theft and 180 days for trespassing, which were to be served concurrently. Due to time already served in jail, Alcala-Arteaga only spent four days in state prison before being released.
Another incident involving Amaro-Blanco took place at the same festival. Allegedly, he grabbed two gold chains worth $6,000 from a 25-year-old attendee before being tackled and detained by the victim until security arrived. One of the stolen chains was recovered. However, Amaro-Blanco failed to appear in court in March, leading to a warrant for his arrest being issued in April. He has been evading authorities ever since.
These incidents serve as a reminder of the importance of safety and security measures at large-scale events like the ARC Music Festival.
