An alleged gang member was arrested early March 28 after being involved in a brawl outside a bar on Madison Street.
According to a Forest Park police report, Luis Avila, 24, of Cicero was the central participant in a fight between two of his female friends – one of them 26-year-old Cicero resident Jasmine Rodriguez – and two other female subjects. Avila is accused of striking two of the women – one in the side of the head, and the other in the mouth – and grappling with a man who sought to mediate the conflict, ultimately biting the man’s cheek.
By the time police arrived the fighting had ceased; however, witnesses quickly identified Avila as the main offender. By this time, though, Avila was entering a car and attempting to leave the scene.
Police approached the car and asked Avila to step out. In doing so, Avila allegedly began flashing hand signals at officers, who subsequently inquired what he was doing. He informed the officers of his supposed “Gangster Disciple” status, explaining that he lives in “Satan Disciple Hood” where “SD’s show [him] much love.”
Officers then discovered that several parties wished to sign three complaints against him for battery, at which point he was arrested. At that point he allegedly became violent and obscene with bystanders and police, alike. After being apprehended he was charged with three counts of battery and one count of aggravated assault.
Early morning DUI
Justine Yannias, 28, of Lombard was pulled over by Forest Park police early March 25 on the 200 block of Elgin. Police report that Yannias’ vehicle struck a curb on Elgin and then stopped in the middle of a crosswalk at Washington. After her vehicle was curbed police allegedly smelled alcohol and she was asked to perform field sobriety tests. She failed all the administered tests, was arrested and then charged with a DUI, a traffic sign violation and with improper lane usage.
Scuffle leads to name check, arrest
A fight that occurred on the 7400 block of Harrison. early March 26 led to the arrest of a Chicago woman who had a 2007 DuPage County warrant for her arrest. Police report that Tamiko Bankhead, 37, was involved in a scuffle with an unnamed subject, and when officers arrived both refused to sign a complaint. A computer name check revealed the in-state warrant for Bankhead and she was subsequently arrested. The warrant was issued after Bankhead failed to appear in court on charges of driving without a license.
Not a cop. Doesn’t know a judge
In the wee hours of the morning on March 28, Forest Park police arrested a Maywood man at the DesPlaines Ave. blue line station, after receiving a disturbance call. Police first observed 31-year-old Stanley Hawkins – supposedly highly intoxicated at the time – yelling and circling around CTA personnel. When Hawkins saw police, he reportedly dropped to his knees, placed his hands behind his head, and stated that he was a Maywood police officer and that he had “been trained to handle situations such as this one.” When asked for his identification, Hawkins become verbally abusive, claiming he knew a retired judge that would terminate the employment of the responding officers. Hawkins was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of resisting arrest.
Visiting from the ‘burbs
Four individuals were arrested on drug charges on the evening of March 28 after being pulled over for a traffic violation on the 700 block of Harlem Ave. When police approached the vehicle, which had been stopped for not having a front license plate, all four occupants were viewed fumbling around their waistbands. A police report states that 43-year-old passenger Jeffrey Cape, of Elgin, was immediately seen holding a metal spoon and a syringe in his hand. He was subsequently ordered out of the car, and the remaining passengers – Megan Frank, 19, of St. Charles; Colin McConnell, 23, of Bolingbrook – along with driver Robin Showalter, 21, of Bolingbrook were asked if there was any additional contraband. All four individuals admitted carrying various illegal substances and paraphernalia ranging from heroine, syringes, spoons, a soda can with a burnt bottom used for cooking drugs, and illegally obtained prescription drugs (Trazadone and Suboxone). Frank was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug equipment. McConnell received other drug equipment violations and was charged with driving on a revoked license and for operating an uninsured vehicle. Cape received the same violations as Frank in addition to possessing a hypodermic needle. Showalter was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic needle.
These items were taken from the records of the Forest Park Police Department between March 21 and March 28, 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 Nicholas Moroni
