The Mount Prospect Police Department on Monday, March 23, 2026, charged Edwin C. Laguna, age 38, of the block of 300 Highland Avenue, Wheeling, Illinois, with the following charges connected to a Road Rage incident in Mount Prospect …
one felony count of Armed Violence,
one felony count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon,
one felony count of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance,
one felony count of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance,
one felony count of Aggravated Driving While License Revoked,
one misdemeanor count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon,
two misdemeanor counts of Aggravated Assault Using a Deadly Weapon,
two misdemeanor counts of Disorderly Conduct,
one misdemeanor count of Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia,
one misdemeanor count of Driving while License Revoked,
one misdemeanor count of Unlawful Possession of Cannabis, and
one petty offense of Transportation of Open Alcohol.
According to the Mount Prospect Police Department, all of these charges stem from a road rage incident that occurred on March 22, 2026, at approximately 4:00 p.m. in Mount Prospect.
Mount Prospect police officers on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at approximately 4:00 p.m., met with two victims at the Mount Prospect Police Department Headquarters, who described that they had just been followed for approximately seven miles by a blue colored Jeep SUV that was being driven aggressively toward their vehicle. The two victims described that they initially noticed the driver of the blue colored Jeep SUV in the 1100 block of Boxwood Drive. The driver was later identified as Edwin C. Laguna. He was gesturing towards the two victims, possibly displaying gang signs.
The victims drove away from the area and realized that the Jeep had begun to follow their vehicle. The victims described that as they were driving, they observed a red laser coming from the Jeep, pointing at them multiple times, and that the driver holding an unknown object in his hand. They described that the driver of the Jeep also quickly accelerated towards the victims’ car, stopping just prior to crashing into them multiple times as they were being followed. As the victims drove westbound on Kensington Road to the Mount Prospect Police Headquarters to report this, the Jeep stopped following the victims. Mount Prospect police officers were able to identify a possible offending vehicle using automated license plate recognition cameras. Officers were able to locate the Jeep in the 500 block of Dogwood Lane with three occupants in the vehicle. While speaking with the occupants, police officers observed open alcohol containers in the vehicle, and then conducted a search of the Jeep. Police officer discovered a handgun, a red laser attachment for the handgun, a possible controlled substance, drug paraphernalia, and empty and open alcoholic beverage containers in the vehicle. Police officers took all three occupants of the Jeep into custody and transported them back to the Mount Prospect Police Department Headquarters.
After conducting the investigation into this incident, Mount Prospect Police Officers reviewed the facts of the case with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office on Monday, March 23, 2026, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the charges for Edwin C. Laguna.
A detention hearing for Laguna was held, and he was ordered detained until his next court date, which was set for March 31, 2026, at 9:00 AM in room 108 of the 3rd District Court of Cook County in Rolling Meadows.
Edwin Laguna was ordered detained pretrial, and is in custody in Cook County Jail Division 8 RTU (Residential Treatment Unit). A jail RTU is a specialized, secure facility designed to treat inmates with mental illness, substance abuse issues, or serious medical conditions. Cook County Department of Corrections Division 8 RTU in Chicago functions as a major medical and psychiatric care unit for detainees awaiting trial.
The two passengers of the Jeep were each charged with one petty offense of Transportation of Open Alcohol and were released from custody.
“The swift and decisive action taken by our officers during this incident removed a dangerous weapon and a violent offender from our community. We will continue to prioritize the arrest of those who choose to endanger our residents, ensuring violent felons are held accountable for their actions and that our neighborhoods remain safe.”
— Deputy Police Chief Bart Tweedie, Mount Prospect Police Department
The public is reminded that criminal charges are not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
— Mount Prospect Police Department
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