Man unscathed after jump onto live CTA tracks
A 24-year-old Chicago man told police he was “tired of waiting” for the train sitting at the Blue Line CTA terminus, so he pulled the emergency release handle and exited around 11:30 a.m. Sept. 16. CTA employees called cops after they saw the man jump from the car and walk along the live tracks into the electrified rail yard and then exit the mezzanine via the platform. He was charged with public intoxication and reckless conduct.
Bike stolen from 3rd floor balcony
A man living in a third floor apartment in the 300 block of Desplaines Ave. told police he awoke around 10:35 p.m., Sept. 17, after he heard a loud “boom” as if something had been dropped off the building. Out his bedroom window he saw an unknown man in a black hoodie hanging over his third floor balcony and noted that his bike was missing. Police observed two trees on either side of the balcony, which someone could climb to gain access to the second and third floor balconies of the building. The man told police his bike had two flat tires and was unlikely to be taken far. Police canvassed the area but did not find the thief. They did recover the black Huffy mountain bike in the alley behind another building.
Catalytic converter thefts
Three vehicles in Forest Park had catalytic converters removed during the day around 1 p.m. Sept. 18 Forest Park police said. One theft occurred in the 800 block of Desplaines. The locations of the other two thefts were not specified in police reports.
Baggy swallowed, evidence gone
An Oak Lawn man, 42, pulled over by Forest Park police for not wearing a seatbelt around 4 p.m. Sept. 18 allegedly opened his wallet and retrieved a “small, clear plastic baggy that contained an off-white powdery substance.” Police said he quickly popped the baggy into his mouth. Officers reportedly pulled him from his 2001 Hyundai and grabbed his neck in an attempt to prevent him from ingesting the suspected narcotics. Police said they feared for his health and safety. The man did swallow the baggy, and was taken into custody. Forest Park Fire Dept. paramedics determined there was no immediate health risk to the subject. He was charged with no seatbelt, obstructing a police officer and driving with license suspended.
High-speed motorcycle chase on Ike
A Forest Park police officer chased a 45-year-old Oak Park man on a black Suzuki motorcycle onto the I-290 westbound expressway and reached speeds up to 100 miles per hour before the rider finally pulled over near 25th Avenue around 4 p.m. Sept. 19. The driver initially was clocked driving 45 mph in the 500 block of Harlem in a 35 mph zone. He then turned onto the highway without signaling, followed by the officer. The driver finally pulled over when he was boxed in by an Illinois State Police vehicle patrolling the expressway and the Forest Park squad behind him. He was cited for speeding, failure to signal and reckless driving.
Prefers the Trib
Officers stopped around 2:51 a.m. Sept. 21 after observing a 36-year-old man from Westmont urinating on a Chicago Sun-Times newspaper box at the corner of Madison Street and Hannah Avenue. He reportedly uttered a profanity when he noticed the squad car and later explained to police he “couldn’t hold it anymore.” He was cited with a local ordinance violation for public urination.
Disgusted CTA employees summoned police around 6 a.m. Sept. 22 when a 25-year-old Chicago male passenger descended the stairs from the upper platform and urinated in the passenger area, where the public passes through to get to buses. Some of the pee also splashed onto the ticket window, CTA staff said. The offender was stopped outside the station where he insisted he had urinated on a tree, explaining, “Yeah, I did it, but I really had to go and now you know.” He was charged with criminal damage to property.
Hit and run
A 28-year-old male pedestrian was not seriously injured after being struck by a white Chevy in the 7500 block of Roosevelt Road around 5:45 p.m. Sept. 20. The victim said the vehicle drove off northbound on Beloit without stopping. Police radioed a description of the car to another officer who curbed the Chevy at Harlem and I-290. A 21-year-old Chicago man was arrested by Forest Park police and charged with hit and run, expired driver’s license and operating an uninsured vehicle.
Three-car accident near Ultra Foods
No one was injured Sept. 21 around 6:10 p.m. when a 2002 Ford Windstar driven by a 21-year-old Cicero woman ran a red light on eastbound on Roosevelt Road at Lathrop and struck by a vehicle turning left into the mall parking lot. After glancing off the turning vehicle, the Windstar then struck a second car facing north. The drivers and passengers of all three vehicles declined medical attention. The Windstar driver was charged with no valid driver’s license, disobeying traffic signals and operating an uninsured vehicle.
Store security struck by getaway van
A 33-year-old Harvey woman suspected of shoplifting$199 worth of merchandise from Walmart the afternoon of Sept. 22 was chased through the parking lot by loss prevention officers until she jumped into a red 1998 Dodge van. A 45-year-old Chicago man was also chased into the van, whereupon he allegedly drove at the security guard and struck him with the van as it tried to escape the parking lot. Forest Park police curbed the vehicle in the lot. The two were charged with retail theft and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
Auto burglary
A woman in the 1000 block of Troost Avenue told police someone broke into and ransacked her unlocked Nissan overnight Sept. 19-20. Removed were $30, some CDs, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and a Movado watch she had left in the car with the intention of having it repaired. Loss was estimated at $1,200.
Dog on the run
Forest Park police picked up a loose dog running in the 100 block of Marengo Avenue around 4 p.m. Sept. 20 without rabies or village registration tags. The animal’s owner, a 22-year-old Forest Park man was located and given a citation for failing to register his animal.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Sept. 16-22, 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.
