Previous Message

TIFWIW: is this an independent website? You make the call.


Days before fatal Mag Mile crash-and-grab, accused man posed with governor at ‘peacekeeper’ event — while wanted in 4 states

Less than a week before a crash-and-grab burglary crew killed an innocent man on the Magnificent Mile last Thursday, one of the men now charged with that murder donned a “peacekeeper” uniform and posed for a one-on-one picture with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

While that’s troubling, some law enforcement experts are more concerned that the accused man was able to stand directly next to the state’s most powerful executive despite having outstanding warrants in four states.

CWBChicago first reported on 35-year-old Kellen McMiller’s role as a “peacekeeper” last weekend. Now, we have more detail, including a picture of McMiller posing with Pritzker—a photo that has apparently been scrubbed from the state’s online press release about the event.

Father-to-be killed

Just before 5 a.m. on September 11, a group of burglars backed a pickup truck into a display window at the Louis Vuitton store at 919 North Michigan Avenue. Video shows several men running through the shattered storefront and returning with trash bags filled with merchandise. Prosecutors said goods worth nearly $700,000 were stolen.

Chicago police arrived as the crew was loading into getaway cars. One of those vehicles, a black Kia, sped down Michigan Avenue at 77 mph, running red lights until slamming into a Honda CR-V at Ohio Street, prosecutors claim. The driver of the Honda, 40-year-old Mark Arceta of Skokie, had a green light and was heading to his final shift at Northwestern University before starting paternity leave. He was killed in the crash, and his wife gave birth to their son soon after.

Prosecutors said McMiller was one of five burglars in the Kia. He remained hospitalized yesterday for injuries from the crash.

Just six days earlier, McMiller and Pritzker posed side-by-side for a picture as the governor met with “peacekeepers” in Englewood. In a press release issued later that day, the governor’s office called the group “‘trusted messengers’ in the community.”

“It’s folks like these that we need more of doing the hard work of community violence prevention,” Pritzker said on Facebook, “not troops on the ground to undermine efforts fighting crime.”

That press release also included a photo of McMiller posing with Pritzker, but it was quickly removed after officials learned that he was being charged in connection with Arceta’s death. Despite its removal, the image remained accessible on Google until earlier this week.

Former Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel is skeptical about the effectiveness of “peacekeeping” programs and called the governor’s advance team “incompetent” for allowing Pritzker to pose at an anti-violence event with a man wanted in four states.

“Over the years, they have allocated millions of dollars to the peacekeepers program, yet there are no positive outcomes to demonstrate from a data perspective,” Weitzel said Wednesday. “It appears to be another feel-good program, with many participants having prior convictions for violent felonies.”

“The funds spent on the peacekeepers program could be better directed toward police operations, equipment, training, education, and technology. These investments would significantly impact crime reduction, of that I am certain,” the retired chief added.

Told that Pritzker posed for a picture with McMiller, Weitzel replied, “The governor’s advanced team is incompetent.”

“I know that some people approach politicians and ask to take a picture, but if the photo is posed, it reveals an absolute lack of due diligence on the part of the governor’s team, in my opinion.”

When CPD announced charges last weekend against McMiller—mistakenly identifying him as “Keller McMillan”—and six other men in connection with the fatal crash-and-grab, the department said he had four outstanding warrants. According to Cook County Circuit Court records, three of those were from out of state: one each in Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Exactly what McMiller is wanted for in those states was not immediately clear. However, a 2021 NBC Miami news story shows he and a female companion were tased by police and arrested in a caught-on-camera altercation while visiting South Beach.

The Miami Herald said McMiller was accused of throwing a bottle of Hennessy at an officer’s squad car before getting into a confrontation with a cop that ended with McMiller being sent to the ground by a taser discharge. He was charged with battery of an officer, resisting an officer with violence, and carrying an open container of alcohol, the outlet reported.

Locally, McMiller is charged with murder during the commission of a forcible felony, burglary, and felony theft in connection with the crash-and-grab and death of Arceta.


https://cwbchicago.com/2025/09/days-before-fatal-mag-mile-crash-and-grab-accused-man-posed-with-governor-at-peacekeeper-event.html