Driver Tries To Run Down, Stab Man In Wilmette: Police

WILMETTE, IL — An altercation between two men last Friday in Wilmette left one person injured and led to an attempted murder warrant, police said.

According to the Wilmette Police Department, officers responded at about 9:52 a.m. Oct. 30, to a report of an altercation between two people. When officers arrived, they found one person with non-life-threatening injuries, and the suspect had already fled.

Police said officers quickly determined the case was an isolated incident between two individuals and that there was no immediate threat to public safety. Wilmette paramedics treated the injured person and took the victim to Evanston Hospital.

Police said the suspect allegedly tried to strike the other man multiple times with a vehicle, first in a parking lot in the 100 block of Green Bay Road and then along the sidewalk. Investigators said the vehicle ran over the man’s hand. Police said the driver then got out of the vehicle and tried to stab the other man with a small pocket-type knife before fleeing the village.

The police investigation found the two individuals were in the area soliciting money on the public sidewalk, and the altercation was tied to an ongoing dispute between their families.

By 2 p.m. that day, Wilmette police detectives had identified the offender as Kevin Siduan Mora-Canelones and tracked him to a residence in Chicago, according to police. Law enforcement officers then kept Mora-Canelones under periodic surveillance to make sure he remained at the Chicago residence.

The Cook County State’s Attorney Office reviewed the case and approved a felony warrant for attempted murder, according to police. Wilmette detectives then appeared before a Cook County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday and obtained an arrest warrant for Mora-Canelones.

On Thursday, members of the United States Marshals’ Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and Wilmette police officers apprehended Mora-Canelones without incident in Chicago. Police said Mora-Canelones is being held in custody under the arrest warrant pending an initial court appearance.

“Peaceful solicitation is a constitutionally protected right under the First Amendment,” said Police Chief Michael Robinson. “The Wilmette Police Department is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals. We commend the responding officers and investigators who, over the past several days, aggressively investigated this criminal activity to ensure a safe community for everyone.”