Father Of Elgin 5-Year-Old Now Fugitive

WAYNE (CBS) -- The father of a 5-year-old Elgin boy killed in a gang shooting last fall is now a fugitive from the law, wanted for allegedly battering his wife, who is the boy's mother.

Eric Galarza, 31, escaped from police on foot and evaded an intense search in the area of Dunham and Stearns roads after a car chase Thursday afternoon, according to the Sun-Times Media Wire.

WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, Galarza was accused of beating and pointing a gun at his wife Denisse Ignacio Galarza while driving her to work, threatening to kill her.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser Reports

Denisse reported the incident and police spotted Eric in Wayne.

When police tried to pull him over, he sped away, heading northbound on Dunham road, police said.

At the intersection of Dunham and Stearns and Route 25, he turned eastward onto Stearns but hit a curb and flattened the car's front tires. He got out of the car and ran into a nearby brush, leaving two children in the car.

Last fall, the Galarzas led an anti-gang march in Elgin after their five-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting. Krauser reports, police believe the Eric was the target; they say he is an active gang member.

Eric has done time for a shooting and is currently on trial for a bar fight and is now a fugitive.

Wayne Police Chief Dan Callahan said police from Wayne, the state of Illinois, Bartlett and South Elgin searched for Galarza for six hours Thursday. Despite help from an airplane, helicopter and search dogs, they were unable to find him.

Because of confidentiality rules regarding victims' identification, Callahan could not confirm whether the two children left in the car were the same two other children that were riding in the family car in October but survived the shooting of their brother.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)