Armed robbery on Madison Street
Forest Park police responded to the report of an armed robbery near Forest Park Liquors, 7429 W. Madison St. around 10:30 p.m., April 12. According to the victims, a man allegedly displayed a handgun and took two cellphones, then ran northbound on the 300 block of Burkhardt. Police identified a man whose White Sox attire matched the victims’ description of the offender attempting to gain entry into a building in the 7400 block of Washington. When a squad car pulled up, the man fled, running into a covered parking lot and squatting behind a vehicle. Police arrested Peter Hrobowski, 18, of Maywood, whom witnesses identified as the man who had taken their phones. Police reportedly recovered two cellphones and a black metal Daily Powerline BB gun from Hrobowski, who was charged with three felony counts of armed robbery.
Stabbing in McDonald’s drive-thru
Police arrived at McDonald’s, 420 Desplaines, around 3 a.m. on April 14, following reports of a group of men fighting in the drive-thru lane, one of them armed with a knife. Officers found a father and son, age 62 and 32, near the intersection of Adams and Beloit. The pair reportedly appeared to be highly intoxicated. While officers were performing a safety patdown of the 62-year-old, he reportedly became extremely irate and belligerent and when told he was under arrest, refused to cooperate. The son then also became irate, according to reports, allegedly yelling obscenities and kicking an officer in the groin. Meanwhile, two men arrived at Rush Oak Park Hospital with stab wounds. One told police he had been struck in the head by someone in the drive-thru lane of the McDonald’s and fell to the ground. The other said he had been bumped by the two men, and didn’t realize he had been stabbed in the left back hip until he was at the hospital and noticed he was bleeding. The father and son were charged with two counts of battery.
Road rage shooting threat leads to arrest
A dispute between two drivers at Harrison Street and Desplaines Avenue around 5:30 p.m. on April 9 led to one of them being arrested after he allegedly displayed a handgun, pointed it at the other driver and said, “Next time I see you, I’m going to put two in your f—— head.”
The threatened party told police he cut off the other driver with his 2008 Chevy Equinox at the Adams and Desplaines intersection. The armed driver, a 34-year-old man from Forest Park, reportedly caught up to the first driver at Harrison and began to yell, pulling out a handgun and simulated pulling the trigger. At that point, he turned onto another street and the driver of the Equinox called 911, then followed his car.
The accused driver was pulled over by police and arrested after refusing to comply with requests that he keep his hands on the car. The man also reportedly threatened police at the station and pushed a door into a police officer’s chest. He was charged with aggravated assault and released on bail.
Single cig seller
Police arrested a man selling single cigarettes outside the CTA Blue Line station at 711 Desplaines around 7 a.m. on April 10. A local merchant complained to police that a familiar Hillside man with tattoos on his face was selling cigarettes to commuters from a black plastic grocery bag.
The man, who reportedly had several police contacts previously, was sitting on a CTA bus when police arrived. He denied the accusations and told police he was waiting for his bus to go to work. He was found to have a pocketful of loose change. The man refused to provide specifics about his job, and reportedly said to police, “You say I was selling cigarettes! Well, did you find cigarettes? Where are they?”
The store owner pressed charges and the Hillside man was issued a local ordinance citation for disorderly conduct.
Vehicle thefts, burglaries
A 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from the Portillo’s parking lot, 7740 Roosevelt Rd., during the afternoon of April 7, the owner reported to police.
Someone broke the front windshield of a 2007 Jeep parked in the CTA parking lot at 711 Desplaines, sometime during the day on April 11, and stole a Garmin GPS from beneath the front passenger seat and rummaged through the glove compartment.
Stolen credit cards in his shoe
Police observed a 1998 silver Oldsmobile Intrigue at Taylor and Madison Street in Oak Park around 11 a.m. on April 12 and noted that the driver and passenger were not wearing seatbelts. When they pulled over the two, the passenger, Prince D. Young, 21, from Oak Park allegedly gave police a false name. When police asked for his real name, they found he had an outstanding warrant from the Downers Grove Police Dept. for fraudulent use of credit cards. A safety pat-down reportedly revealed three credit cards in Young’s shoe, none of which belonged to him. The driver, a 20-year-old from Chicago told police the two friends were “hanging out” and Young offered to buy him gas at the Shell Gas station on Madison and Ridgeland. Young allegedly swiped a credit card at the gas pump and filled up the gas tank for approximately $48. Police contacted the owner of the two Chase Visa cards and one Merrick Bank Visa card. He said his wallet containing the cards had been stolen at Xsport fitness in the 5500 block of Irving Park Rd. in Chicago. Young was charged with one felony count of possession of stolen credit cards.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, April 8-14, 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.
