Persons unknown removed catalytic converters from five Ford E350 club wagons parked in the U-Haul parking lot in the 800 block of S. Harlem Ave. between 7 p.m., Dec. 26 and 7:50 a.m., Dec. 27. A fence at the property had been tampered with. Estimated loss was $6,000.

Bartlett man using heroin in Thornton’s lot

Police found Nilesh J. Lukose, 21, of Bartlett slumped at the wheel of his running car at a gas pump for 10 minutes at Thornton’s gas station, 601 Harlem Ave., at midnight on Dec. 28. An officer tapped on the window of Lukose’s Nissan Altima and allegedly observed Lukose holding a lighter and the cap from a hypodermic needle, an open Altoids tin in his lap and white powder on his pant legs. He allegedly told police he had shot heroin into his arm earlier and was “cooking” more drugs in the tin at the gas station. Police recovered two Ziploc bags containing folded foil and a white substance that field-tested positive for heroin. Lukose was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug equipment.

Attempted strong-arm robbery on Prairie Path

A man told police he was walking from the CTA station in the 700 block of Desplaines Ave. at 2:57 p.m. on Dec. 24 when an 18-year-old male allegedly approached him and said, “I need some money, let’s see what you got,” while reaching inside his waist band behind his back as if he had a weapon. The 53-year-old victim told police he yelled to people walking nearby as if he knew them and the assailant fled westbound on the Prairie Path.

Police arrested Edward E. Blassingame, 18, of Chicago who was identified by the victim. Blassingame was charged with attempted robbery.

Gang members arrested in Forest Park

A police officer observed a man “throwing up” or displaying gang signs and symbols with his hands in upward pitchfork shapes behind his squad car at 1:56 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Madison and Burkhardt streets. The officer then observed the man and a companion running into Madison Street, yelling and pulling at driver door handles. The actions of the two allegedly endangered the safety of the occupants of the autos, other bar patrons and pedestrians, passing motorists as well as the men, according to reports. The officer told the two men to stop and Angel E. Alvarado, 21, of Cicero – a self-admitted member of the Maniac Latin Disciples – allegedly refused to heed the command. The officer pulled on Alvarado’s jacket, causing him to lose his balance, fall into a signpost and cut his forehead, with the officer on top of him. Alvarado was told he was under arrest, but he refused to enter the police car until threatened with being Tasered. He was brought to the police station where he blew a breathalyzer test, resulting in a blood alcohol content of .252, over three times the legal limit of .08. Alvarado was charged with reckless conduct and resisting arrest.

Police, curbing a car with a burnt-out taillight at 11:14 p.m. on Dec. 30 in the 7900 block of Roosevelt Rd. observed a passenger furtively reaching into the front of his pants. After asking the car’s occupants to leave the vehicle, the officer performed a safety pat-down and discovered the man had on his person a Colt “Combat Commander” .45 caliber pistol with ammunition, a clear knotted plastic baggie containing one gram of a white substance that field-tested positive for cocaine and a Ziploc bag containing one .5 grams of cannabis. Eugenio Naves, 28, of Cicero, told police he was a member of the Satan Disciples street gang and carried the gun for protection. He was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of controlled substances.

Pants on the ground

A police officer in an unmarked squad car observed a 19-year-old man walking near the library in the 7500 block of Forest Park at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 with pants hanging down to his mid-thigh area so that his underwear were visible to the children and families in the area. After being told to pull up his pants, the man turned the corner and re-appeared a short while later on Desplaines Avenue. The officer saw him allegedly unzip his pants and pull them down past the groin area. He then began to fumble with his groin area while looking at passengers of cars waiting at a red light and smiling at them. The officer exited his squad car in full uniform and asked for identification and performed a safety pat down. The man refused to tell the officer his name. Christopher Boyd, 19, of Hanover Park was ticketed for obstructing a peace officer.

Eggs flung at cab

A cab driver called police as he followed and then blocked in a grey 2011 Mazda full of three Chicago teenagers who had thrown eggs at his newly washed 2012 Chrysler 300 taxicab at 1:40 a.m. on Dec. 29. The cab curbed the Mazda at Marengo and Randolph streets. The cab driver showed police where eggs had splashed on the hood, windshield, trunk and roof of the car. The three teens allegedly admitted that they purchased the eggs at a 7-11 in Chicago. An almost empty carton of eggs was recovered from the rear of the vehicle with only three eggs left in the carton. The Mazda’s driver was charged with Criminal Defacement and Disorderly Conduct.

Burglaries from motor vehicle

Persons unknown stole a Sony brand stereo from a parked vehicle near the intersection of Beloit and Madison streets around midnight on Dec. 24. Loss is estimated at $70.

A Pioneer car stereo with removable face plate was stolen from a vehicle in the 800 block of Beloit Ave. overnight on Dec. 24. The car’s owner told police thieves cut the convertible top to his Ford Mustang to gain entry.

Two gas-powered concrete saws were stolen from a work truck at Hawk Dodge, 7911 W. Roosevelt Rd., between 11:45 a.m. and 12:22 p.m., Dec 27. The tools were valued at $1,700.

Speeding, drunk, with infant in the car

A woman was arrested and charged with DUI after speeding down Harlem Ave. at 57 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone at 5:25 a.m. on Dec. 24. Officers curbed Shakira V. Campbell, 26, of Chicago at Augusta and Harlem and observed that she had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Two other adult passengers and a 3-month-old infant were also in the vehicle. Passengers were sent to their destination in a taxi. Campbell was taken to the station where she registered a breathalyzer test of .154 blood alcohol content (almost twice the legal limit of .08). She was charged with DUI, speeding and endangering the life or health of a child.

-Compiled by Jean Lotus

These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Dec. 24-31, 2011, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in the report has only been charged with a crime.