Two men have now been charged in connection with a gunfire-filled confrontation outside a Highwood bar in June, though only one of them is behind bars. Aaron Rosales, a 24-year-old Highwood resident, was arrested and transported to Lake County Jail, while 24-year-old Highland Park resident Jose A. Castrejon-Mancilla remains wanted on an active warrant, according to Highwood Police Chief Dave Wentz.
The shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. on June 7 outside Santi's Bar at 324 Green Bay Road, as reported by The Record North Shore. Police believe the confrontation started as a fight inside the bar around closing time, when as many as 20 people were reportedly inside, and it spilled outside where the two men got into a black SUV. As they drove away, they allegedly fired at two people near the bar, unleashing nearly 20 gunshots that may have also struck another vehicle, according to video surveillance reviewed by investigators.
No injuries were reported despite the volume of gunfire. Police say the getaway vehicle later crashed in a construction zone near Old Elm Road and Sheridan Road on the Highwood-Lake Forest border, triggering an hourslong manhunt that drew search teams, K9 units, and drones from five nearby agencies — Highwood, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Metra, and the Lake County Sheriff's Office — per the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. Officers recovered two loaded handguns allegedly used in the shooting.
Why It Took Weeks to Bring Charges
Rosales was not immediately taken into custody after the shooting. Court disclosures show he admitted to driving the getaway car and tested positive for gunshot residue, but he was initially released without charges while forensic analysis was completed, the outlet's report notes. He was formally charged on July 24 with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, appeared in court that day, and had a detention hearing three days later.
Castrejon-Mancilla was charged the same day, July 24, with the identical counts — two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. Sara Avalos, director of communications with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, confirmed he had an active warrant, but he remains at large. Investigators say they identified him after recognizing him on bar surveillance footage and matching him to a police report he had filed later in June claiming his own handgun was stolen — a weapon the same account says was subsequently used in a separate shooting involving two juveniles.
Criminal Histories and Gang Ties Emerge in Court
During Rosales' pre-trial detention hearing, Lake County Assistant State's Attorney McConnell told the court that Castrejon-Mancilla is a self-admitted Latin Kings gang member who was already on pre-trial release for driving on a suspended license at the time of the shooting. Rosales, prosecutors said, had prior arrests for battery, aggravated assault, and cannabis delivery at a school, according to the same court proceeding reported by the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
Both men face steep legal exposure. Aggravated discharge of a firearm toward an occupied vehicle or building is a Class 1 felony under Illinois law, carrying a prison sentence of 4 to 15 years, and truth-in-sentencing rules require anyone convicted to serve at least 85% of that sentence before becoming parole-eligible. Under the state's Pretrial Fairness Act, part of the SAFE-T Act that eliminated cash bail statewide in 2023, judges can order defendants held without bail on non-probationable felonies like this one if prosecutors show an unmitigable threat to public safety — the legal standard that kept Rosales in Lake County Jail.
Highwood Cracks Down on Santi's Gardens' Hours
The shooting has already reshaped nightlife rules in Highwood. At an Aug. 4 City Council meeting, Mayor Charlie Pecaro announced the city had indefinitely reduced operating hours at Santi's Gardens, cutting weekend closing time from 3 a.m. to midnight, according to The Record North Shore. The move followed public safety concerns raised after the shooting, and it remains unclear whether the city will permanently alter the business's liquor license conditions once its initial one-month review period ends.
The incident stands out in a city where public gunfire is rare. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data shows Highwood, a municipality of roughly 5,300 residents, recorded only three violent crimes in 2019. The city's police department employs just 11 sworn officers — a ratio of 2.0 officers per 1,000 residents, below the Illinois state average of 2.6 — which helps explain why Highwood leaned so heavily on neighboring agencies during the manhunt.
For now, Rosales remains held in Lake County Jail as his case proceeds, while Castrejon-Mancilla's whereabouts remain unknown. Hoodline previously reported on a separate, unrelated fatal Highwood police shooting in April, underscoring a difficult stretch for the small North Shore city.
