Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker might want to pick his “peacekeepers” more carefully.
Days after the state chief executive posed with a man to promote a program that uses civilians to contain out-of-control violence in Chicago, the same man was involved in a fatal accident while fleeing a “crash-and-grab” burglary on a high-end retail section of the city known as the Magnificent Mile.
At the time he was posing with the governor, the man was also wanted by police in multiple states.
Exclusive: Days before crash-and-grab crew killed a man on the Mag Mile, one of the men charged with the murder posed with Gov. JB Pritzker at a “peacekeeper” event.
And officials say he did it while wanted by authorities in 4 states.https://t.co/PAOgrboBUB
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) September 18, 2025
According to CWBChicago, an independent news outlet, Kellen McMiller, 35, was one of a group of men who had one-on-one photos taken with Pritzker on Sept. 5 to push the Peacekeepers Program, “an innovation incubator for the field of gun violence prevention.”
“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,” Pritzker said in a post on the social media platform X.
In Englewood today to meet with Peacekeepers who are working to create safer communities.
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. pic.twitter.com/WgmSVZWiq7
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 5, 2025
The “troops on the ground” was a Pritzker dig at President Donald Trump’s threats to send the National Guard into Chicago to help fight the city’s rampant crime. The governor is an outspoken, if occasionally careless, opponent of the plan.
Should Trump send the National Guard to Chicago?
On Sept. 11, less than a week later, according to prosecutors, one of those men Pritzker said the city needs more of was involved in the violent, 5:00 a.m. break-in of a Louis Vuitton store on the Magnificent Mile that involved the theft of about $700,000 worth of high-end merchandise.
Speeding from the scene of the robbery, a Kia being driven by some of the thieves crashed into a Honda driven by a 40-year-old man on his last day of work before going on paternity leave.
Mark Arceta of Skokie, Illinois, was killed. His girlfriend gave birth to their son the next day, according to WFLD-TV.
McMiller, who was badly injured in the crash, was charged alongside six other men with “murder during the commission of a forcible felony, burglary, and felony theft,” according to CWBChicago.
In a statement, a representative for Pritzker implied the governor had no control over his picture being taken with McMiller.
“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 statement said, per WMAQ-TV.
One of the alleged monsters charged with murdering MArk Arceta, 40, is Kellen McMiller, 35, who IL Gov. JB Pritzker posed with and praised as a “Peace Keeper” DAYS EARLIER!
Pritzker has now scrubbed the photo from his offical website. https://t.co/N6kQREuBae pic.twitter.com/awJoUFU4Qg
— National Conservative (@NatCon2022) September 18, 2025
“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 photo has been removed from the governor’s office news release about the event, according to CWBChicago.
At the time of his photograph with the governor of Illinois — a leftist politician with aspirations to the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — McMiller had active arrest warrants in Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
Details of his alleged crimes were not available.
Meanwhile, Roanne Masangkay, the mother of the victim’s son, told WFLD that she would keep the memory of the dead man alive in the child to whom they gave life.
“I want my son to know his dad was so loved. He gave me everything I wanted. He was selfless, generous, and never turned his back on people who needed help,” Masangkay remarked.
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