Man Stabbed During Bar Fight Outside Bar Near Grayslake: Police

GRAYSLAKE, IL — A 21-year-old man was hospitalized after being stabbed during a fight outside a bar near Grayslake during the early morning hours of May 16, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff’s office deputies responded around 1:40 a.m. to a report of a fight at a bar in the 34000 block of Route 45. By the time deputies arrived, the people involved had fled the area in vehicles, Lake County Sheriff's Office Chief Christopher Covelli told Patch.

Deputies later located a vehicle near Gages Lake Road and Hunt Club Road containing one of the individuals involved in the altercation, Covelli said.

Deputies also found a 21-year-old man from unincorporated Grayslake, who'd suffered two stab wounds to the back. He was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to Covelli.

Shortly after, the sheriff’s dispatch center received a call from another 21-year-old man from unincorporated Grayslake, who told dispatchers he had been attacked by three men and stabbed one of them during the confrontation, Covelli said.

Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the bar as part of the investigation. Covelli said the video showed the second man initially locked inside his vehicle while an altercation unfolded nearby.

Investigators said one of the man’s friends entered the vehicle, and while the driver was allowing him inside, several people — including the stabbing victim — allegedly pulled him from the car and began physically attacking him. Authorities said the man then produced a knife and stabbed the other man “to avoid being further battered.”

Covelli said it appears he acted in self-defense. Investigators said the fight stemmed from a verbal disagreement that escalated into violence.

The investigation remains ongoing, and charges are possible against the individuals accused of initiating the fight, authorities said.