'I don't remember:' Man says too much Xanax led to threats against officer at Sendik's in Hales Corners

Rickey Velez

HALES CORNERS -- A man charged with making threatening statements about police is apologizing. FOX6 News showed you body camera footage from the incident at a Sendik's store in Hales Corners. Rickey Velez said he took too much Xanax and cannot remember a thing, but when his children saw his behavior on the news, he knew he needed to make things right.

"I was woken up by my kids and basically they said, 'You're on the news,'" said Velez.

Rickey Velez

Velez, 37, is a convicted felon who has had his share of run-ins with police.

"I feel unsafe, to be honest. In Hales Corners I feel unsafe and I feel unsafe on the south side because of police," said Velez.

Velez said it was fear that boiled over and led to some bad judgement calls during the incident on Feb. 11 at the Sendik's Fresh2Go near Highway 100 and Edgerton.

"If I had a gun, I wouldn't use it on you. I would use it on the person who Tased me. I told him if he sees me, it's gonna be me or him. If he's gonna kill me, it's gonna be me or him. That's the bottom line. I would love to just box one of you guys," said Velez.

When FOX6 News asked whether Velez could understand why police took this seriously, he said "yes and no."

"Because the ones who do know me, they know that's not who I am," said Velez.

Velez claimed to have no recollection of talking to police or even allegedly making a 911 call for service to the store in the first place. According to the criminal complaint, Velez reported someone had a gun. That turned out to be false.

"I guess that's allegedly what I did. Again, I don't remember," said Velez.

Velez said he took too much Xanax.

"I was basically under a lot of anxiety, so I ended up over-taking medication, which caused me to black out," said Velez.

When asked whether he was serious about any of the threats, Velez said, "No. Of course not."

"I am involved in treatment. I'm not on that medication anymore, so I'm headed toward the right path now," said Velez.

Velez said all he can do now is try to move forward. He's facing a felony count of battery or threat to a judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer. He has a preliminary hearing set for March 15. Meanwhile, he was ordered to have no contact with the officer he's accused of threatening. He could face up to 6 years in prison and $10,000 in fines, but said he hopes whatever happens, his story serves as a lesson to others.