Search continues for Portage Park murder suspect who flees Chicago while on home monitoring device and has altercation with Ohio deputies

by BRIAN NADIG

A 27-year-old suspect in a Portage Park homicide recently fled Chicago while on a home monitoring device and was last seen on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Madison County, Ohio, where he reportedly pulled a gun on sheriff deputies during a traffic stop, according to law enforcement agencies.

Juan Z. Torkelson was arrested on May 28 in the 5700 block of North Maplewood Avenue and charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with a Nov. 11, 2019, incident in which four people were stabbed in the 5300 block of West Irving Road, according to Chicago police.

A 28-year-old man died as a result of the altercation, which stemmed from an argument over a minor traffic accident, police said.

After his arrest in May, Torkelson reportedly posted bail and was assigned home confinement, which has been increasingly used in recent months as part of an effort to reduce the inmate population in Cook County Jail during the pandemic.

The Madison County sheriff’s office reported that during the traffic stop, Torkelson drove off and later crashed his vehicle and that he then apparently fled on foot. A multi-jurisdiction search for Torkelson is underway, and he should be considered “armed and dangerous,” the sheriff’s office said.

Those with information on his whereabouts are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 740-852-1212.