Globally Ranked Skateboarder Arrested In Skateboard Beating: Police

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A 19-year-old Crystal Lake man is facing felony aggravated battery charges after police say he struck a person in the head with a skateboard during an altercation early Thursday in downtown Crystal Lake.

Officers responded about midnight to the 0 to 100 block of East Woodstock Street, where they found a victim with serious injuries who was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators allege Gabriel R. Schuch, of the 1300 block of Cottonwood Lane, used a skateboard during the attack before fleeing the area.

Illinois State Police located Schuch about two hours later near Interstate 80 and the Tri-State Tollway in Lansing and took him into custody without incident, according to a news release from the Crystal Lake Police Department.

He was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place, both Class 3 felonies, and is being held at the McHenry County Jail while the investigation continues.

Schuch is a well-known figure in the skateboarding community and was profiled in 2024 as a globally ranked street skateboarder from Crystal Lake. At the time, he was ranked among thousands of skateboarders worldwide based on competition results and had earned sponsorships from several skateboarding brands, according to Shaw Local.

He also won a Red Bull Boarding Pass qualifying event in the Chicago area and launched his own skate-inspired clothing brand.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Crystal Lake Police Department at 815-356-3620. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by texting "CLPDTIP" along with tip information to 847411 through the department's tip411 system; standard text messaging rates may apply.