Plain-clothes police in an unmarked vehicle observed a man standing on the east side of the Circle Avenue bridge with his back to traffic at 3:15 p.m. on March 23. The man had his hands down the front of his pants. Thinking that they were witnessing public urination, the police stopped and approached him on foot. They observed that he was unloading packages of meat from down the front of his pants into an open Whole Foods bag on the ground.

The man, 46, from Chicago, told police he had just finished work at Ultra Foods at 3 p.m. It became apparent that he had packages of meat stuffed inside his shirt and lodged in his waist band. A piece of what was later identified as a pork chop was observed hanging out of the cuff of his left pant leg.

All of the packages had Ultra Foods labeling. All the meat was cold, but not frozen and had expiration dates that were days away. He had no receipt. Reportedly he told police he had just come from his sister’s house after getting off work in the meat department. He told police he had stolen the meat from his sister’s house.

The manager of the Ultra Foods meat department said the man had been suspected of stealing meat numerous times and had been previously caught red-handed, but the store did not prosecute at the time. The man’s sister, reached by phone, said her brother had not been in the house and she was not missing any freshly packaged meat.

The meat was destroyed at the store. It totaled four packages of breakfast pork chops, four packages of western-style ribs and three packages of beef skirt steak, valued at $63.24. He was charged with one count of misdemeanor theft.

Robbed at gunpoint for PellePelle

A man was robbed on the 1500 block of Harlem around 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 10. He was approached from behind by two males wearing all dark clothing and masks covering their face from the nose to the neck. One assailant allegedly said, “Up that Pelle coat” and displayed a black semi-automatic pistol. The victim removed his black wool XL PellePelle coat, marked with two “Ps” on each sleeve, and gave it to the men. The victim lost $50 cash and house keys in the pocket of the coat, which was valued at $200. Police released this report March 23.

‘I’m CPD Killa!’

Police received a call from a Chicago man who was having an argument with his foster son, 20, who would not exit a car in the 700 block of Desplaines Avenue. When police arrived, the young man had exited the car, but threatened an officer allegedly saying, “I’ll f&(% you up!” and made a fist as if to strike the officer. He was told he was under arrest, and as he was handcuffed he allegedly told the officer, “I’m CPDK, CPD [Chicago Police Department] Killa.” He then allegedly taunted officers with rap lyrics by B.I.G. Notorious: “I’m gonna shoot you dead! With my Glock and one in the chamber, I’m gonna shoot you in the head.” After being placed in the squad car, the man began to kick the back of the seat. When asked to stop, he allegedly spat in the officer’s face. In an attempt to stun and stop the subject from continuing to spit, the officer struck him in the face with a closed fist, twice, which resulted in compliance. When asked later about the incident, the man allegedly told police, “I’m sorry. I have poor impulse control.” He was charged with felony aggravated battery.

Smashed windshield

A Dodge Caliber, parked in a garage in the 800 block of Circle Ave. between Jan. 1 and 2, had its windshield and rear window broken by an unknown object. The owner told police the garage door did not lock. Police released this report March 23.

Catalytic converter theft

A catalytic converter was cut off a 2008 Honda Element, parked in the west park district lot at Lathrop and Harrison streets between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. on March 20.

Burglary to auto

A 2012 Ford Festiva, parked overnight on March 23 in the 1400 block of Marengo, had a passenger window shattered. Removed from the car was a silver Tom Tom GPS worth $300.

Residential burglary

A woman called police after she arrived home on the 500 block of Desplaines Avenue at 4:15 p.m. on March 24 and found her back apartment door broken open. Police observed the back door jamb was separated from the wall as a result of forced entry. Missing were a black HP Pavilion laptop computer, an Apple Mac Book Pro laptop, a Dell laptop and an iPod. Total value of missing objects was declared at $3,960. She told police that two hours earlier she had noticed an unknown male standing near the rear of the building and speaking on a cellular phone.

Garage burglaries

A yellow Diamondback mountain bicycle worth $300 was stolen during the day on Jan. 30 from a garage in the 700 block of Franklin Street. Police released this report March 23.

Someone stole two bicycles from a garage in the 100 block of Elgin overnight on March 20. The owner of the garage told police that roof contractors had asked to open the garage door to access electricity and failed to close it before leaving the workplace for the day. The bikes were a black Specialized 26-inch and a bright yellow Trek 26-inch bike. Total value was $400.

These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 1 – March 24, 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.

– Compiled by Jean Lotus