Ill. EMT Accused of Changing Identity to Conceal Past Gets Hit With Additional Bail
Dec. 08--An emergency medical technician who prosecutors say changed his identity to conceal his history of felonies and unlawfully obtain a gun permit had his bail raised after a judge on Wednesday denied his lawyer's request to fold new charges into the existing case.
Michael Arquero, 33, has been held in a medical unit in Cook County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail since a Sept. 9 drive-by shooting in Humboldt Park that authorities said led to a shootout involving police.
Judge Erica Reddick agreed on Wednesday to add an additional bail amount of $150,000 for new charges that include illegally purchasing firearms and perjury. The judge agreed with prosecutors that allegations about Arquero's purchase of guns should be considered as a separate case.
Arquero's attorney, Nenye Uche, objected, arguing that "the new case is an investigation into the first case."
In the Sept. 9 shooting, Arquero was standing in front of a taco stand when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire on patrons, officials said. Arquero, who was armed, shot back and is believed to have killed 18-year-old Louis Rodriguez. He is not facing a murder charge because prosecutors decided he shot in self-defense.
As police came on the scene, Arquero was shot at least once by police -- in total he was shot four times.
In arguing for a higher bail amount, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Eugene Wood said it was important to note that Michael Arquero is technically the fourth alias he has used.
Arquero, who served years behind bars in his 20s for crimes including attempted murder, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon under the umbrella statute of armed habitual offender, a Class X felony. That means he could get life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In making her determination on bail, the judge asked whether Arquero had ever been a no-show at court appearances in the past. Because he has never absconded, she did grant him a lower bail than Wood wanted, which didn't sit well with the prosecutor.
"He is law enforcement's worst nightmare, judge," Wood said.
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