Elmhurst Man Beats Up Teen In Apartment: Cops

ELMHURST, IL — An Elmhurst man beat up an 18-year-old in an apartment, saying the teen should be in the living room, police said.

Domingo Vanegas, 53, of Elmhurst, was arrested on a charge of simple battery.

The incident took place Jan. 28 in an apartment complex at 130 E. Grand Ave., police said. Through a public records request, Patch obtained the full police report.

The 18-year-old man showed up at the police station a couple of hours after the attack, the report said. He told officers he had been with his girlfriend in a bedroom at her mother's apartment for hours, while Vanegas was with a friend drinking beer.

About 11 p.m. Vanegas entered the bedroom and struck the teen with his hand, telling him to get up, according to the report. The 18-year-old thought Vanegas was joking, so he did not react, police said.

Vanegas, who was reported as drunk, then started poking the teen in his chest, with the teen saying, "Please stop touching me," the report said. Vanegas tried to punch the teen in the torso and the head, police said. The 18-year-old dodged both swings.

The teen then pushed Vanegas back after the second attempt, causing Vanegas to fall back on the bed and prompting Vanegas to say, "I let you do that," the report said.

Next, Vanegas wrapped his arm around the back of the teen's head, while the teen grabbed Vanegas' torso, resulting in them wrestling in the hallway, police said.

Vanegas then slammed the teen to the floor near the bathroom, placed his hand on his neck and started choking him, the report said. Vanegas screamed for his girlfriend's help. She pulled Vanegas off her boyfriend, police said.

Vanegas then went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, the teen and his girlfriend told police. According to the report, both the teen and Vanegas left the apartment. The fight ended.

The girlfriend told police Vanegas drinks every day, but this was the first time she had seen him drunk and his aggressive side, according to the report.

When officers showed up at the apartment, they said they noticed blood in several areas. Vanegas, who does not speak English, told police he only wanted the 18-year-old to be in the living room and acknowledged a fight happened. He said he went to the kitchen to get a fork, not a knife, to open a beer, police said.

He was taken to the police station and later released, police said.