A 48-year-old man has been arrested after two women were attacked along a Crystal Lake bike trail by a man wielding a hammer earlier this week.
Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, the McHenry County Conservation District Police Department said it and other law enforcement agenices arrested Angel Reinaldo-Cardoza, of Woodstock, in connection with the attack.
Reinaldo-Cardoza was being charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of armed violence and four counts of aggravated battery. Police said additional charged were possible.
“Due to the diligent work of Conservation District police officers, as well as assistance from other local law enforcement agencies, we were able to identify, locate, and apprehend the suspect,” McHenry County Conservation District Chief of Police Laura King said in a statement.
According to police, a man riding on a bike just after 5 p.m. Tuesday along the Ridgefield Trace Bike Trail struck two women with a hammer.
Residents reported hearing screams during the attack.
“We heard some screaming and we just assumed it was just neighborhood kids playing,” said resident Michelle, who preferred to keep her last name anonymous.
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She said they immediately ran toward the sound and spotted a woman with blood all over her face.
“I saw a woman come out of the bush and she was just covered in red…she was just repeating herself what happened, somebody had a hammer,” Michelle explained.
She also said another woman on a bike had an injury to her wrist.
Michelle said the first woman she saw was hit in the back of the head.
“She was like, ‘I don’t know where my phone is’…she didn’t want to sit down because she didn’t want to pass out,” Michelle recalled.
Multiple agencies responded to a 911 call from the trail, including Crystal Lake Police, the McHenry County Sheriff's Office and officers of nearby McHenry County College.
The suspect in the attack was described as in his mid-50s, clean-shaven and standing at around 5'7", with a stocky build, wearing a forest green sweatshirt, jeans and a Green Bay Packers hat, authorities said.
The victims were taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, according to police, who said they were treated for non-life threatening injuries and released Tuesday night.
“This was an unnerving and unfortunate event to have had occurred in an otherwise serene and peaceful area. Our thoughts go out to the two women and their families,” King added.
