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CHICAGO (WLS) — Six days after a photo was taken of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker posing alongside a Peacekeeper, court records claim the man was part of a violent crash-and-grab burglary on Michigan Avenue and a crash that killed a young father, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.
Chicago police said it was a squad of seven who shattered the Magnificent Mile storefront of Louis Vuitton and sped off with hundreds of thousands worth of designer goods on September 11 before one the alleged getaway cars crashed into Mark Arceta’s vehicle, killing the expectant father whose son was born the next day.
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Police say a man listed as both Keller and Kellen McMiller was one of the seven fleeing thieves. Court records show McMiller had outstanding arrest warrants in Cook County, Florida, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Days earlier, McMiller had posed with Governor Pritzker at an event with Peacekeepers.
In a statement to ABC7 in response to an email asking about the picture with McMiller, Pritzker’s office said, in part, “We were extremely troubled to learn that this individual was arrested for his alleged involvement in this serious crime, and we expect them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law…”
McMiller is charged with murder, burglary, and fugitive from justice in the deadly crash-and-grab on Michigan Avenue.
Court records reveal an extensive and violent criminal background including drug charges, domestic battery, armed robbery and probation violations in Cook County. He was charged with battery against a police officer and resisting arrest in Miami-Dade County last year. A signed warrant indicated McMiller was violating supervision.
Governor Pritzker’s office included a photo with McMillen, which has since been scrubbed, as part of a press release touting the success of the Peacekeepers program in reducing violent crime. The Peacekeepers initiative receives tens of millions of dollars in government funding each year.
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McMiller was working as what’s called a participant in Peacekeepers with the group “Public Equity.”
“We give them a chance to be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem,” said Peter Cunningham, who works with another organization, Chicago CRED, that also receives state funding for the Peacekeeper program.
The I-Team asked if Peacekeeper programs check to see if people have an active criminal record when they bring them in to be participants.
“No, we don’t,” said Cunningham. “We check to see if they have the relationships that would make them effective in the community, and the data clearly shows that they do. We know that many of them are justice involved. If we try to eliminate people who are justice involved, we wouldn’t find the people who could actually do this work.”
To be clear, McMiller did not work with Chicago CRED, and both Cunningham and Pritzker say they did not know McMiller personally.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office told the I-Team McMiller is still in the hospital, which is why he’s not yet appeared before a judge on the most recent charges.
Two men other charged in the deadly crash-and-grab were in court Thursday. A judge ordered Darius Bowdry and Dejuan Wingard to remain in custody.
Last week, a Cook County judge also ordered 26-year-old Harvey Fisher, 37-year-old Alton Jackson, 22-year-old Anthony Hemphill and 19-year-old Keith Perkins to be held in custody pending their trials.
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