Three handguns were reported stolen from a Washington Street apartment earlier this month, and though the burglary allegedly occurred while neighbors were home, police found no witnesses to the crime.
According to a department report, an apartment located at 7449 Washington St. was burglarized between 8:30 a.m. and noon on Oct. 6, as evidenced by the front door’s frame being broken. A pillow case was taken from the bedroom and used to collect three replica Colt .45-caliber revolvers, according to police. The weapons were reportedly valued at $400. It was unclear whether other items had been stolen, but the victim reported that his dresser drawers were ransacked.
Three neighbors were asked if they had seen anything unusual, and though several reported hearing noises in the hallway, none said they had observed the break-in.
Knife used in alleged robbery
Shortly before 5 a.m. on Oct. 6, a masked man wielding a large knife reportedly jumped the counter at a Harlem Avenue convenience store and robbed the clerk. According to a department report, the suspect was wearing a ski mask when he ordered the clerk to “open the register” and “give me the money.” An unknown amount of cash was swiped and no fingerprints were recovered from the scene, police said in their report. However, a security camera caught the alleged criminal in the act.
Chicago suspect arrested locally
A Forest Park resident was taken into custody by local police in connection with an alleged sexual assault at the request of Chicago investigators.
Sharod Luster, 29, was identified as a suspect in the case, according to a department report, and had been named using DNA evidence. Luster is a resident of the 1500 block of Harlem Avenue. Forest Park police apprehended Luster without incident shortly before 7 p.m. and held the suspect until Chicago police transported him to Area 5 headquarters. There is no indication in the report that charges were filed against Luster.
Say you’re sorry
Two Chicago residents suspected of jumping the turnstile at a Chicago Transit Authority station on Harlem Avenue were charged in the incident, but it seems the remorseful tone of one suspect went a long way with police.
Just before 4 a.m. on Oct. 7 a CTA employee alerted a Forest Park officer to two suspects who did not pay the $2 fare to ride the Blue Line, according to a department report. Lakeitha Ivy, 22, and Aja Hughes, 25, were taken into custody.
While at the station, Ivy reportedly told police that she had made a mistake and “would never do anything like this again.” She was cited with a local ordinance violation and ordered to appear at a municipal hearing in November.
Hughes, however, “began laughing uncontrollably after being told he was being arrested for theft of service,” and argued that everyone jumps the turnstiles, according to police. He was hit with a misdemeanor charge and given a December court date in Maywood.
The report makes no mention of other mitigating or aggravating circumstances with respect to the charges filed.
Chase ends with arrest
A Berwyn man was charged with reckless driving following an early morning chase Oct. 9 through several streets, alleys and a parking lot.
Jeffrey Harnish, 26, was spotted driving south on Harlem Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. at a high rate of speed by an officer patrolling the roadway. When police pulled in behind Harnish, the suspect turned west onto Fillmore Street, turned off his lights and veered into an alley on the 1100 block between Harlem and Elgin streets. The first officer on the scene lost sight of the car, but a second patrol unit attempted to stop Harnish for driving without his headlights. When Harnish saw that the officer who had pursued him was arriving at the scene, he reportedly fled again, this time going south along Harlem Avenue.
A Berwyn squad car tried to block Harnish’s path, but the suspect turned into a parking lot at 7200 Roosevelt Road before finally coming to a stop near a curb. Harnish was pulled from the car and taken to the station, according to police.
His vehicle, a 1996 Geo Storm, was towed for lack of insurance. Authorities reportedly noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Harnish, but the suspect refused to take any blood-alcohol exams.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11, 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 Josh Adams
