Web Extra!
A man suspected of being involved in a carjacking in Riverside late in 2008 has reportedly tipped police off to the identity of his accomplice.
Last week, police traveled to Big Muddy River Correctional Center in southern Illinois to interview 26-year-old Raymond Velez, whose fingerprints were allegedly found in a vehicle used in the Dec. 29, 2008 Riverside carjacking incident.
On Monday, Riverside police stated that Velez provided information on a second person involved in the Riverside case. Police stated they have recovered evidence containing DNA and have submitted the DNA evidence to the Illinois State Police crime lab for testing to see if it matches the person also believed to have been involved.
Velez is in state prison after being convicted in July of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was sentenced to three years. The motor vehicle in question was a pickup truck reportedly stolen on Dec. 29, 2008 from a gas station in Downers Grove, where police found a Mercury Grand Marquis allegedly used in the Riverside carjacking. Velez’s fingerprint was reportedly found inside the Mercury, which had been reported stolen in Chicago on Dec. 28.
-Bob Uphues
