A 24-year-old man was held at gun point during a robbery at the Dollar Store, 7213 Roosevelt Road, on May 3, at approximately 3:24 p.m.

The man, an employee at the store, told police he saw a young man in his 20’s, wearing a do-rag, a blue shirt and black pants enter the store at approximately 3:20 p.m.

The burglar selected two rolls of toilet paper and brought them to the counter, the store clerk said.

The burglar then brandished a revolver from his waistband and demanded the clerk open the register. When the clerk complied, the man reached in and grabbed between $100 and $150, fleeing the store with the money and the toilet paper.

The clerk followed the burglar out of the store and told police he saw the thief enter a red Dodge Intrepid.

Moments before the burglary at the Dollar Store, witnesses told police, the thief had entered a nearby watch store, then left, entering the Dollar Store. The witnesses told police they saw the offender run out of the Dollar Store and get into the car. One of the witnesses later identified the thief as the same offender in an armed robbery at the Ace Hardware Store, two weeks ago.

Road rage, aggravated assault
• Forest Park Police officers responded to the area of 8th Street and Roosevelt Road in Maywood to assist a Maywood officer that had an offender in custody for an assault that allegedly occurred in Forest Park.

On arrival, officers found Eleazar G. Garcia, 33, of the 2900 block of North Melvina in Chicago in custody for aggravated assault, on May 2 at approximately 7:50 a.m.

An Ohio man told officers Garcia had been driving westbound on Harlem Avenue, when he noticed Garcia’s red, 1995 Nissan Truck swerving from side to side behind him as if the driver was attempting to pass.

The truck, the Ohio man said, finally passed him and, by Roosevelt Road and Desplaines Avenue, both cars came to a stop at a red light.

At the light, Garcia allegedly exited the truck and retrieved a lug wrench, approaching the Ohio man’s Lexus RX330, as if he was about to take a swing at the Ohioan.

The light turned green and the Lexus sped away from the scene, the victim told police.

Minutes later, police said, Garcia was involved in an accident on Roosevelt Road in Maywood, after passing the victim’s Lexus, allegedly at high speed.

The Ohio man saw the accident and informed the police.

Residential burglary
• Officers responded to a reported burglary on the 1800 block of Beloit Avenue on May 4, at 12:20 p.m.

At the scene they found a Forest Park female, who said she had returned home to find her front door forced open and immediately called the police.

Officers secured the perimeter of the house, while two others searched the interior. No burglars were found, but the front door had pry marks near the dead bolt and there was debris from the door and door jamb on the floor. In addition, the window in the first floor bedroom was open and a large flat-head screw driver was found on the ground below the window.

The only item missing was a five gallon plastic water bottle filled with coins and $1 bills. The bottle was later recovered in the first floor bedroom, in front of the open window, in a maroon pillow case.

Criminal trespassing and theft
• Nitti J. Brockman, 49, formerly of the 500 block of Elgin Avenue was charged with criminal trespassing and theft when police found him allegedly intoxicated and passed out in his ex-wife’s tool shed.

The woman called police after she allegedly found Brockman asleep in the tool shed. Brockman is the father of the woman’s 5-year-old and is only allowed at the address under supervised visitation because of alleged drinking problems.

Brockman, police state, has been stealing from the house when the woman isn’t home, and selling items to antique stores.

Officers responding allegedly found his shirt and jacket outside the yard, next to the house and Brockman inside the shed under a blanket.

Brockman allegedly broke the door of the shed to gain entry.

Criminal damage to car
• Unknown persons used a sharp tool to slash the front two tires of a four-door, sandy grey, 2000 Toyota Corolla while it was parked on the 7400 block of Washington Boulevard between April 30, at 9:30 p.m., and May 2, at 2:50 p.m.

• Unknown offenders used a nail to puncture the left rear tire of a 2003, red Ford Explorer, between May 7, at 6:30 p.m., and May 8, at 5 p.m. The offenders also removed the spare tire from the underside of the car.

Burglary to car
• On May 7, between 1 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., unknown offenders broke into a 1996, blue, four-door Chevrolet Cavalier. The burglars gained entry through an unlocked front driver’s side door. They removed a digital camera, spare change and a gold colored ring with clear stones on it.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between April 30 and May 8 and represents a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in this report has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not yet been adjudicated.
“compiled by Melissa Lou