Victim of Friday's Home Invasion in Grayslake Speaks to Patch

Shaun Ellis-Schweet, 34, of College Trail, said he knew one of the suspects who robbed him and his identical twin brother, Eric, at gunpoint during a home invasion in Grayslake Friday night. The suspects made off with about $3,000 in cash and goods. No injuries were reported.

"It was one of my friends through AA. He was living in a half-way house," said Ellis-Schweet.

The suspect is one of four men police spent five hours searching for with a helicopter, dogs and thermal imaging cameras shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28.

After crashing their car and fleeing on foot, police eventually located three of the suspects and took them into custody. The fourth suspect, who was not apprehended, is the person known to the Ellis-Schweet brothers. Grayslake Police have issued a warrant for this man's arrest.

with armed robbery, unlawful restraint and residential burglary. He was remanded to the Lake County Jail on $750,000 bond. The two suspects in custody have yet to be charged, pending further investigation by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, said police.

Trying to help a friend

Ellis-Schweet told Patch he had offered his friend, the fourth at-large suspect, a spare room in his townhouse in the 1000 block of Manchester Drive, if the man had been sober for 45 days.

"He wanted to check out the room and called me at 7:30 (p.m.)."

Ellis-Schweet said he was at a meeting when the suspect called. He then told him when he would be arriving home. A few hours went by, then finally, the suspect said he would be coming right over.

Ellis-Schweet said he opened the garage door in expectation of the visit.

The next thing Ellis-Schweet knows, his "friend" is standing in his home with three other people he'd never seen before, with guns drawn. The fourth suspect had even managed to grab a wall-mounted collector baseball bat that belonged to Ellis-Schweet, having seen it in the house during a previous visit.

"At first I thought it was a joke, until he put the machine gun in my brother's eye and said, 'Give us all your money.'"

Ellis-Schweet said his brother's girlfriend was also at the home at the time of the invasion and armed robbery.

While on the ground, Ellis-Schweet said he managed to dial 911 on his cell phone. "They threw my brother's phone in water," he said.

Unable to speak, Ellis-Schweet said he feared the suspects would hear the 911 operator asking what the emergency was. Fortunately, they didn't.

In a matter of minutes, the four suspects fled the home with cash, gold chains and a television set, all totaling about $3,000.

"That was money for bills," said Ellis-Schweet, who hopes to get the money and items returned.

Earlier, said Ellis-Schweet, the fourth suspect had asked him if he and his brother had cashed their work checks (the three had worked for the same employer).

"It should have been a red flag," said Ellis-Schweet, but this person was his friend and he wanted to help hm out by offering him a place to stay once he had obtained sobriety.

Unfortunately, he said of the suspects, "They smelled of liquor and marijuana."

"I've never been a part of something like this," said Ellis-Schweet, who added that he still feels safe in his Grayslake community.

He praised the work of the Grayslake Police Department, who stayed at the home throughout the night and kept a squad car outside.

"They were absolutely amazing," said Ellis-Schweet of the Grayslake Police.

One Suspect Charged in Grayslake Home Invasion

3 Home Invasion Suspects in Custody of Grayslake Police After 5 Hour Search Friday Night

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