Crime & Safety
Two Niles Men Arrested, Charged In Beating of Victim
One man had other charges dating back to 2011 and 2012. An arrest is merely an accusation and not evidence of a conviction.
Rene Garibay, 20, and Najeeb Ahmad, 25, have been charged with aggravated battery and mob action after their victim, who was punched, kicked and hit in the head, spotted Ahmad driving around Niles, Cook County Sheriff's Police said.
The Sheriff's Police released the following statement. Note also that Garibay was named in previous Patch stories listing other charges in 2011 and 2012 incidents.
A victim’s sighting of one of the suspects has led to aggravated battery and mob action charges against two men for a 2012 beating, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said today.
Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The victim, a 37-year-old Skokie man, was in his car near the 8800 block of Dee Road on the morning of March 23, 2012 when the offenders, who were also in a vehicle, asked the victim about his gang affiliation and if he was there to purchase narcotics.
Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Earlier: Rene Garibay charged with violating order of protection, June 2012
The victim said he was not affiliated with a gang and did not want to purchase drugs. When the victim got out of his car, the offenders got out of their vehicle and punched, kicked, and hit the victim in the head with an unknown object before fleeing the scene.
In July of this year, the victim contacted Sheriff’s Police after he spotted one of his attackers, later identified as Najeeb Ahmad, 25, while driving in Niles. Ahmad, of Niles, was arrested on July 31. During the course of their investigation, Sheriff’s Police detectives identified another man involved in the victim’s beating, 20-year-old Rene Garibay, of Niles, who was in custody at Cook County Jail on unrelated charges. Garibay was arrested Aug. 29.
Stay informed. Get Niles and Morton Grove news in a free daily email from Patch.
The two, who are known gang members, have been charged with aggravated battery and mob action. Ahmad remains in custody at Cook County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond and Garibay remains in custody in lieu of $350,000 bond.
Sheriff Dart reminds the public that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
