Forest Park police responded to reports of a car on fire behind the 1000 block of Beloit Avenue around 4 p.m., Jan. 6. They found a 2004 Volkswagen with the engine on fire and an electrical cord running from the vehicle into the house. The husband of the car’s owner said he was trying to warm the battery (so it could accept a charge) by heating some charcoal and placing it under the vehicle engine area. He then went inside and later discovered the vehicle was on fire. No loss amount was given.
Impala crashes through 7-Eleven window
A 31-year-old Maywood man drove his 2009 Chevy Impala through the plate glass window/door of the 7-Eleven convenience store, 205 Harlem Ave. around 11 p.m., Jan. 11. He was not injured, and the car was relatively undamaged. The windows had to be boarded up. The man had no driver’s license on his person and reportedly told police, “I pressed on the brakes, but the car kept accelerating.”
Cellphone distraction leads to lane-bleed
A Forest Park officer traveling in the 7600 block of Roosevelt Road noticed a yellow 2000 Jeep Wrangler that was drifting between lanes. He noted the driver was looking downward at the center console of the vehicle while driving. He curbed the car, and observed the 45-year-old Cicero man driving the car had a Sony cellphone on the console. He was charged with illegal lane usage and operating a cellphone without a hands-free device.
Too cold to walk, when a Malibu is right there
Police apprehended the driver of an Oak Park, Hertz-owned Chevy Malibu that had been left in Chicago running unattended with keys in the ignition on Jan. 7. The 16-year-old driver told police he was cold and tired of walking and he jumped in the Malibu and drove away. The next day, he picked up a Forest Park buddy, 18, to take him to see his parole officer in Maywood. The Malibu came to police attention around 12:34 p.m., Jan. 8, when the driver blew a stop sign near Adams Street and Hannah Avenue in Forest Park. The car was curbed by two officers after a short pursuit. He was charged as a juvenile, processed and turned over to his mother.
Weed enthusiasts pay a visit
Two hearing-impaired middle-age men from Geneva and Woodridge were observed by police sitting in a black 2006 Nissan around 1 p.m., Jan. 9, in the 1100 block of Thomas Avenue, raising a yellow metal pipe to their lips. The officer, suspecting crack or pot smoking, approached the vehicle and questioned the occupants. Though they reportedly couldn’t communicate because of their hearing and speech impairments, the men turned over their two pipes and a bag of green leafy substance that tested positive for cannabis. The men, 57 and 60, were charged with local ordinance tickets for the possession of pot and paraphernalia.
Privates flashed in Kmart
A Kmart employee told police she was folding infant clothing around 3 p.m., Jan. 9, when she noticed a man standing nearby with his pants open fondling his genitals. When she yelled, he fled the store, but security personnel observed him getting into a 2004 Silver Pontiac and Forest Park police tracked him down and stopped the vehicle at Harlem Avenue and the I-290 Expressway. He was identified by the victim and charged with indecent exposure.
Face tattoos, ‘Camo Black’ at terminal
Police were summoned to the CTA Blue Line station, 711 Desplaines Ave., around 3 p.m., Jan. 11, after employees said a man with a puffy coat and face tattoos had become aggressive with CTA employees and customers. Upon arrival, the 36-year-old, tattooed, Hillside man was seen standing with an open can of Camo Black malt liquor. Police said he appeared intoxicated with a strong odor of alcohol. When asked to leave, he allegedly became belligerent, taking an aggressive stance and saying, “Lock me up, b—-! Just lock me the f— up. I got good lawyers and I ain’t f—-leaving.” He also stated he was, “just drinking a f—- beer!” While being transported to the station, he reportedly cursed and threw himself around the back of the squad car. He was charged with criminal trespass and given a court date in Maywood.
Catalytic converter removed
A catalytic converter was removed from a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am parked in the 1100 block of Ferdinand Avenue, Jan. 8-11, the owner told police. Estimated damage was not provided.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 2-11, 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
