Glenview man arrested on hate crime and aggravated battery charges, police say

A 69-year-old Glenview man was arrested Sept. 27 on hate crime and aggravated battery charges and accused of beating a victim with a metal pipe, according to Glenview police.

According to Glenview Deputy Police Chief Mark Ciesla, Randy Velleff, of the 1700 block of Grove Avenue, got into an argument with a victim on June 30, leading Velleff to beat the victim with a metal pipe . The victim defended himself with a knife and cut Velleff near the neck. Both men were treated at area hospitals.

Glenview police recovered both guns during the incident, but neither man was charged with a crime at the time, Ciesla said. The victim has not been charged to date.

Regarding why Velleff was not arrested at the crime scene, Ciesla said, “It was an ongoing investigation. There were facts in this case that needed to be investigated and both men were treated in hospital. So, you know, obviously, people’s injuries come before police investigations.”

Ciesla said the investigation into the incident was ongoing at the time Velleff turned himself in to the police department on Sept. 27 and that the police department had not yet issued a warrant for his arrest. Cook County court documents say Velleff “made a confession” to the department regarding his involvement in the June incident, during which he called the victim a racial slur and threatened she would be deported.

Ciesla said he could not say whether the admissions made by Velleff amounted to a confession.

Velleff’s initial preliminary hearing was held on September 28. Judge Ankur Srivastava approved a motion from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to keep Velleff in custody during pretrial proceedings. Velleff’s attorney, Andrea Gambino, filed a health care order for Velleff to be evaluated by health care personnel because of high blood pressure, pain from nerve damage in his hands and feet, a gastrointestinal problem and coronary heart disease.

Velleff’s next preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4 at the Skokie courthouse. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.