A loss prevention agent at Wal-Mart, 1300 Desplaines Ave., saw a woman exiting the store with an entertainment center in her shopping cart on Jan. 17. According to the agent, the same woman had successfully stolen an entertainment center the previous day.
The woman, later identified as Autumn Beougher, told police she was bringing the merchandise to a car in the parking lot where her boyfriend was taking a nap. The boyfriend said that he had no knowledge of the theft, but was not surprised as he and Beougher were both heroin addicts and had been living out of the car for months.
Beougher told police she had already sold the entertainment center she stole the previous day for $80 to $100 on Roosevelt Road in Chicago. She acknowledged that she steals nearly every day in order to support her habit.
At the police station, Beougher gave police a false name, which police discovered when the picture and description on the ID matching that name did not resemble Beougher. When asked about the name, she responded “**** you, you’re going to have to figure out who I am,” and gave another fake name. When police fingerprinted her and found her real name, they discovered that she had four outstanding warrants, three in McLean County and one in Tazewell County.
She was charged with theft and obstruction of justice.
Shot fired during armed robbery
A cashier at Arrow Liquors, 35 Harlem Ave., told police that on the night of Jan. 19, a man wearing a ski mask entered the store with a revolver. He first pointed the gun at a customer who was at the register and demanded, “Give me what you have.”
The customer fled to the rear of the store, and the gunman turned toward the cashier and said, “Give me everything you have.” He fired one shot into the shelves as a warning, and handed the cashier a white plastic bag, telling her to put everything in the bag or he’d shoot.
An employee who was stocking shelves heard the shot and called 911.
The cashier attempted to open the register, but was unable, and allowed the gunman to try. When he was also unable, the cashier handed him an envelope with about $500 in lottery money and big bills that were taken out of the register.
The offender then fled the store with the money.
String of hit-and-runs on Madison
Police found Wilbur Hall, 77, slumped over the wheel of his 1989 black Volvo at Madison Street and Desplaines Avenue after receiving a call reporting a car accident on Jan. 13. The car was smoking from the front, and appeared to have been in a major front-end collision.
Hall, a Bellwood resident, did not respond to officers when they attempted to get his attention, remaining slumped over the wheel with the car still in gear. When an officer broke the rear window to gain entry to the car, he encountered a strong odor of alcohol.
When Hall was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital for treatment, he woke up and became combative with the medical staff, refusing blood and urine tests. He was then taken back to the police station for processing.
Several witnesses interviewed by police said that their cars, which were parked on Madison Street, were struck by Hall as he drove westbound in the eastbound lanes of the street. Officers discovered paint marks and parts from Hall’s car near the cars that had been struck. He apparently traveled two blocks between striking the first car at 7506 Madison St. and the last, at Desplaines and Madison.
Officers discovered that Hall had a revoked driver’s license and no insurance, and he was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and not having insurance.
Carjacking in Thornton’s parking lot
A victim of a vehicular hijacking which took place at Thornton’s Gas Station, 601 Harlem Ave., is still without his car after unsuccessfully attempting to chase his assailant down in a taxi.
According to accounts from the victim as well as other witnesses, the victim was standing next to his car when a gray vehicle, possibly a Ford Taurus, pulled up alongside his 2000 Dodge Caravan on Jan. 17. A man exited the passenger side of the car, pointed a brown and black handgun at his stomach, and asked where the keys were.
The man told the offender that the keys were inside the car, and the offender told him to move away, and then fled southbound on Harlem. The driver of the gray car also fled. The victim flagged down a taxi and attempted to pursue the offenders, but returned to the gas station after losing track of both cars.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, and represent only 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 Seth Stern
