Pritzker’s ‘Peacekeeper’ Tied To Fatal Smash-And-Grab Getaway

A 40-year-old man was killed in a crash in Chicago on his way to work last week after a group of robbers sped away from a smash-and-grab heist at a Louis Vuitton store on Michigan Avenue. One of the seven suspects charged in connection with the crimes was a community “peacekeeper” and posed for a photo with Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker just one week before the storefront raid.

Kellen McMiller, 35, is now facing a list of charges that include murder, burglary, and felony theft, Fox 32 Chicago reported. McMiller, who recently posed with Pritzker while wearing his “peacekeeper” uniform, also has outstanding warrants in four states, including Illinois, Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin, CWB Chicago reported. Fox 32 also reported that McMiller was a “peacekeeper,” an individual involved in violence-prevention work, and had “at least four fugitive warrants, according to authorities.”

Peak Illinois and left-wing “criminal justice reform.” Dude was wanted in FOUR STATES & ended up posing for a photo with Pritzker as a non-police “peacekeeper.” Days later, the perp allegedly participated in a fatal smash-and-grab robbery in Chicago. https://t.co/4EFAdM4iBE pic.twitter.com/VVNOSZ8avg

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 18, 2025

Footage of the crime reportedly showed the suspects backing a pickup truck through the store windows. The suspects then stole around $700,000 in merchandise, according to court records. Dejuan Wingard, the 30-year-old man who was allegedly behind the wheel of the getaway car, was driving nearly 100 miles per hour when he crashed into the vehicle that 40-year-old Mark Arceta was driving.

Pritzker met with “peacekeepers” in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago two weeks ago as he continues to rail against the Trump administration’s desires to send in federal agents and National Guard troops to address violent crime in the city. Pritzker claimed that the “peacekeepers” are “doing the hard work” of preventing violent crime, adding that “troops on the ground” would hinder that effort.

“In Englewood today to meet with Peacekeepers who are working to create safer communities,” Pritzker wrote on Facebook. “It’s folks like these that we need more of doing the hard work of community violence prevention, not troops on the ground to undermine efforts fighting crime.”

Chicago’s “Peacekeepers Program,” which began under the Office of Firearm Violence in 2018, aims to rely on “the influence of community residents” to prevent violent crime and partner with “young men and women who live in neighborhoods that are at a high risk for violence.” Pritzker and Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson have called for federal funding to go toward “violence interruption programs” while arguing that President Donald Trump’s push to send in the National Guard to clean up Chicago is a dangerous power grab.

“I would love it if he would restore funding for police, would restore funding for violence interruption programs, which we are the best in the country at, I might add,” Pritzker said earlier this month.

A press release issued by the governor’s office on September 5 showed McMiller posing with Pritzker, but the photo was quickly removed after reports of McMiller’s suspected involvement in the smash-and-grab robbery and the fatal crash that followed, according to CWB Chicago.

A spokesman for Pritzker’s office told The Daily Wire, “The Governor meets hundreds of people in communities every week and is often asked to take photos. We were extremely troubled to learn that this individual was arrested for his alleged involvement in this serious crime, and we expect them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The Governor will keep doing everything in his power to fight crime, keep our neighborhoods safe, and support community violence intervention, which have been proven to work,” the spokesman added. “For example, the Peacekeepers Program has a strong track record reducing violent crime by 41% over the past two years and providing community members with a path towards rehabilitation.”

Arceta, killed in the smash-and-grab, never met his baby boy, who was born the day after his death, Fox 32 reported. At least three of the other suspects in the crime have been arrested multiple times in the past. Darius Bowdry, a 30-year-old man accused in the smash-and-grab, has been arrested 12 times as an adult in Chicago. Alton Jackson, 37, was released on parole in May after he was sentenced to two years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. It’s the fifth time Jackson has been arrested as an adult in Chicago.

Trump, who has hinted for weeks that National Guard troops would be deployed to Chicago, said on Monday that Chicago is “probably” the next city on his list after he signed a memo directing a crackdown on crime in Memphis, Tennessee.

This article has been updated to included comment from Pritzker’s office.