Assault Arrestee Claims Connections to Mayor Gonzalez

A 51-year-old Chicago Heights man threatened police by boasting about connections to the local government, according to a police report.

Ignacio L. Franco, of the 600 block of Lowe Avenue, was arrested and charged with assault after he called police around 8 p.m. on June 16 and said "I'm going to have to take care of these people, I have a shotgun," according to the report.

Police arrived on Lowe Avenue and noticed Franco had bloodshot eyes and smelled like alcohol, according to the report. A man and a woman at the scene told police they were having a party and heard Franco going up and down the rear alley on his motorcycle before finally hearing him hit his bike against the backyard fence as he yelled racial slurs and profanity.

Franco remained in the area as the men told police what happened, according to the report. Police said Franco's breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot.  

"You're gonna be sorry," Franco told police as they took him into custody. "I know Dave Gonalez, and I know Frank Perez."

Police asked Franco to spell his last name, to which he responded "You know who I am," according to the report.

In a separate report, a 23-year-old Chicago Heights woman told police Franco drove up to a West 7th Place residence the next morning in a pickup truck and yelled "You guys are going to get it" while reaching into his door storage compartment. 

Police searched the area but found no one, according to the report.

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