Shooting Outside Skokie Smoke Shop Leads To Charges 18 Months Later

SKOKIE, IL — Prosecutors revealed a November 2021 shootout outside a Skokie smoke shop started after two men recognized one another from their involvement in street gangs.

Jordan Sandoval, 24, of Bloomingdale, has been charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Prosecutors dropped a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm against Sandoval at his initial court appearance Friday in Skokie. Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Ravin said other counts would be added later.

After leaving a smoke shop at the corner of Oakton Street and Kenton Avenue on the night of Nov. 11, 2021, Sandoval spotted Sargon Youkhanna, who had just parked his car, according to the prosecutor.

"[Sandoval] and [Youkhann] know each other through prior gang involvement," Ravin said. "As [Sandoval] walked northbound on Kenton, he continually looked back at [Youkhanna.]"

After they passed one another, Sandoval turned around and began to argue with Youkhanna before drawing a pistol, Ravin said, alleging that much of the encounter was captured on video.

"You can see Mr. Youkhanna pull up in the car, you can see him on the corner, you can see [Sandoval], you can see [Sandoval] pulling the gun first, firing the gun first," Ravin said. "You can see the muzzle flash."

Youkhanna then drew a pistol out of his waistband and returned fire as Sandoval ran across the street, according to the prosecutor.

Authorities said the two men fired more than a dozen bullets, failing to strike each other and instead shooting a 37-year-old Chicago man as he sat in a parked pickup truck.

"He didn't know anybody, and he got shot," Ravin said.

Ballistics testing subsequently indicated that it was a bullet fired by Youkhanna that struck the Chicago man, the state's attorney said.

Youkhanna was charged shortly after the incident with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and secured his pretrial release by posting the $25,000 cash portion of his bond. Prosecutors later filed a violation of bail bond against him over a recent domestic incident, according to Ravin.

Investigators identified Sandoval soon after the incident, the prosecutor said, but it took more than 18 months for police to arrest him.

"The officer and the [Skokie] Police Department's attempts to locate him came up empty on multiple occasions," Ravin said.

There was already an active warrant for Sandoval's arrest at the time of the shooting. According to court records, Bloomingdale police obtained a warrant for fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving without a license and several other traffic offenses in September 2021.

Ravin said Skokie police were aware of the DuPage County warrant before eventually arresting Sandoval in the Bellwood area on May 31.

"When the officers tried to apprehend [Sandoval], he fled on foot into oncoming traffic, forcing cars to abruptly stop so they would not hit him," she said.

Patch asked a Skokie police spokesperson for further information about the case. Any response received will be added here.

Assistant Public Defender Jarnail Kanda said Sandoval is a single father of two with jobs working in a factory and a restaurant. Kanda also pointed out the prosecution had not showed him the video evidence they described at Friday's bond hearing.

Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese said Sandoval's criminal history was "not laudable, but also not the worst criminal background I've seen."

Sandoval's only adult conviction was a 2017 case, which was originally charged as a robbery, where Sandoval was convicted of approaching a 15-year-old, telling him his companion had a gun and stealing his property. He was sentenced to Cook County Boot Camp, court officials said.

Calabrese denied Ravin's motion to order Sandoval held without bail, setting a bond that was in line with the one he earlier set in Youkhanna's case. Sandoval will need to post $30,000 cash to secure his release ahead of trial.

"It is a gunfight between he and Mr. Youkhanna on the streets of Skokie," Calabrese said, "in the evening, which is extraordinary troubling."

Earlier: Stray Bullet Strikes Male Motorist In Skokie: Police