On July 23 the 7-Eleven store located at the corner of Roosevelt Road and Desplaines Avenue was robbed by two men wearing bandanas over their faces, and at least one of the suspects was carrying a gun, according to police. A third suspect in the case, a juvenile, is believed to have been the getaway driver.
With red bandanas covering their nose and mouth, and baseball caps pulled down on their heads, two men reportedly entered the store at 12:50 a.m. and ordered the cashier to “take the money out of the register or I’ll kill you,” according to a department report. A handgun was brandished by one suspect while the other went behind the counter and grabbed the money.
The offender who threatened to kill the cashier then pointed the gun at a store patron, according to police, and ordered him to lie on the floor. The robbers took $300 from the man’s wallet, as well as his cell phone, before fleeing in a waiting car.
On the way to the 7-Eleven in response to a 911 call, Forest Park police noticed a car driving eastbound on Harvard Street with its headlights turned off. Police detained the passengers in the car, suspecting they may have been involved with the crime. Two black hats and a red bandana were spotted on the floor of the car.
Just before 3 p.m. later that day, police were surveying the 1300 block of Austin Boulevard in Cicero. The surveillance was part of the investigation of the armed robbery as police had learned from questioning the two suspects that a third person who drove the getaway car had escaped just before the car was pulled over.
That person, a 16-year-old juvenile, was spotted by police and arrested without incident. However, as police ordered the boy to surrender, he allegedly removed a .25 caliber handgun from his waistband and hid the weapon inside a nearby doorway. Police recovered the gun and found it fully loaded with one bullet in the chamber.
The juvenile, a Cicero resident, later told police that he had purchased the gun “on the street” for $100, according to authorities. He was charged with four felonies related to his possession and use of the gun.
Suspect is no Green Hornet
Forest Park police were called to R’Place on the 1500 block of Harlem Avenue after reports that one of the patrons pulled out a set of gold nun chucks featuring a picture of Bruce Lee.
Reynaldo Susano 25, and his brother Pastor Susano, 27, both of Berwyn, were arrested at 1:32 a.m. July 27 for criminal trespassing. The brothers reportedly refused to leave after being asked to do so several times. Reynaldo had pulled a woman’s hair and Pastor had allegedly drawn a set of nun chucks before other patrons wrestled them away, according to police.
Cheeseburgers simply too good
Raymond Lynch, 62, of Chicago, was arrested by Forest Park police on July 21 at Portillo’s on the 7700 block of Roosevelt Road. Lynch had been arrested previously at the same restaurant after yelling racial slurs at employees and patrons of the restaurant.
While being placed into custody, Lynch reportedly began yelling at police officers. At the police station, Lynch explained to the police that he continues to go to Portillo’s, even after being warned not to return, because he loves the cheeseburgers.
Unsanitary indecency
Forest Park police responded July 27 to reports of a man defecating and exposing his penis in a parking lot at 7200 Madison Street shortly before 10:30 p.m.
When officers arrived at the scene they identified the man wearing a shirt that read “Sox Suck” as Shawn Abernathy, 39, of Oak Park. Police reportedly noticed Abernathy’s pants unzipped, urine stains on the front of his pants, and brown stains on the back of his shorts.
The officer on the scene asked Abernathy if he had urinated, and he allegedly responded, “Yeah, I had to go.” Excrement was also observed on the window of a building on Madison Street.
Abernathy was charged with criminal defacement and disorderly conduct.
Anyone with information regarding the cases mentioned in this report, or on another matter, is encouraged to contact the department’s hotline at (708) 615-6239. Information may be left anonymously.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between July 20 and July 27, 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 been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Jacob Boyer
