Police recovered a pellet gun and a stolen bicycle from two suspects accused of using the gun to threaten the owner of the bike, according to an arrest report on the incident. One of the suspects is 18, the other a juvenile. Both are facing aggravated robbery charges.

According to police, a boy was riding his yellow bicycle on Elgin at about 4 p.m. on Oct. 28 when he passed an alley near Roosevelt. The two suspects yanked him from the bike and when the boy tried to use his cell phone to call 911, the juvenile offender grabbed the phone and threatened to shoot him with the pellet gun. When police found the suspects riding the bicycle, they allegedly recovered a pellet gun in the waistband of the juvenile suspect. The weapon is fashioned to resemble a 9 mm, according to police.

Darrell Thomas, 18, of Chicago, denied being the aggressor in the incident and said his juvenile accomplice pulled the victim off the bike and threatened him with the gun. That story, according to the report, is consistent with what the alleged victim told authorities.

Information on the juvenile suspect in the case, such as his age and town of residence, was withheld by authorities. He allegedly told police that the owner of the bicycle offered to sell the bike, and he denied robbing the boy. However, when confronted with the fact that police recovered the cell phone from his pocket, the suspect allegedly began to change his story. The juvenile suspect was released to his grandmother after being given a court date in Cook County Juvenile Court.

Alleged gang member arrested

An 18-year-old Forest Park resident suspected by Chicago police of shooting a police officer on the city’s West Side was taken into custody Oct. 28 when the departments cooperated in serving a warrant.

At about 9:30 p.m., authorities notified residents of the 1300 block of Marengo that they would be assisting the city’s officers in the arrest, and not to be alarmed by the commotion, according to a statement released by the department. Four flash grenades were lobbed into the basement apartment at 1338 Marengo to disorient the suspect.

Dahvon Wilson is a suspected gang member, according to Forest Park police, and was wanted by Chicago authorities for allegedly participating in a number of shootings.

“There is no indication that Mr. Wilson did anything but reside in Forest Park, and his presence did not present a danger to any of our residents,” Police Chief Jim Ryan said in a written statement.

Wilson allegedly fired a single shot as police stormed his apartment, but the bullet did not strike any of the officers. Authorities did not return fire.

Police warn of possible scam

Authorities suspect that an identity-theft scam may have targeted a Forest Park man who received several items in the mail telling him that he had won $500,000 in an overseas lottery.

According to a report and department memo on the incident, a resident of the 1100 block of Elgin brought the mailing to police on Oct. 29. The paperwork contained what appeared to be a fraudulent check in the amount of $3,300, and a letter instructing the resident to use the check to pay a “tax clearance fee” of $3,100. That amount was to be sent to an address in Canada.

The company names used on the check and accompanying letter include Velocity Express, allegedly based in Texas, and Pamida, a bank that may or may not be located in Nebraska. The mailings were stamped from South Africa, according to police.

A concern for democracy

A man charged with driving on a suspended license, illegally parking in a handicap spot and not wearing his seat belt made an unusual request of the arresting officer, according to authorities. Johnny Echols, 33, reportedly encouraged the officer to “vote for Barack” as he was being handcuffed and placed into the backseat of the squad car.

Echols, a forest Park resident, was allegedly seen driving through the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Desplaines Avenue on Oct. 29 when he pulled into a handicap parking space. The officer asked Echols why a placard or license plates indicating a physical handicap were not on display, and Echols reportedly became argumentative. The man said he was only waiting to pick his mother up from the store.

As the officer was arresting Echols and being implored to vote for the Democratic Party’s nominee, the suspect’s mother emerged from the store. The vehicle was turned over to her and Echols was taken into custody.

These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between Oct. 27 and Nov. 1, 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