Midnight armed robbery on Madison Street
Two men told police they were accosted around 11:55 p.m., May 13, in front of Shortstop Lounge, 7425 Madison St., by two unknown men. The victims told police the two men, who appeared to be 18-25 years old demanded to be given money. One lifted his shirt, displaying a black-handled revolver tucked into his waistband. One victim had no money, but the other handed over $15. The two robbers then demanded the silver chain with a Celtic cross around one victim’s neck and a ring, but the ring was too tight to remove. The victims fled back into the Shortstop and the offenders were seen fleeing north on Circle Avenue. Police canvassing the area could not find anyone matching the offenders’ descriptions.
Pocketing a C-note on camera
Forest Park police were summoned to Kmart, 6730 Roosevelt Road, around 3:20 p.m., May 13, to help interrogate a 19-year-old female employee from Chicago. A pattern of “register shortages” linked to the employee had put her on the radar for video surveillance, Kmart security staff said. A security guard told police he observed the woman remove from her register drawer a $100 bill and initially conceal it inside a magazine she was carrying. Later she was observed placing the bill in her pocket. When police arrived, security guards had recovered the bill from the employee. She was arrested and charged with theft.
Friday night bar fight
A 22-year-old Berwyn man was kicked out of Slainte tavern, 7505 Madison St., around 1:40 a.m., May 16, after he was observed “aggressively pushing” other patrons. Asked to leave and not return, he showed up again a few minutes later, returned to the bar and ordered a drink. When asked to leave again, he reportedly became upset and then allegedly began yelling and throwing punches. Bouncers pulled him to the street, where he was taken into custody by Forest Park police, who charged him with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Getting grabby
A 51-year-old Chicago man wearing a camouflage jacket and red shoes passed a 20-year-old woman walking near 7453 Madison St. around lunchtime, May 16. “I’m going to grab your ass,” he announced and proceeded to grab her buttocks, police said. The woman fled and later called police. Police found a man matching the description and wardrobe walking along the 7700 block of Madison and took him into custody. The victim identified him as the grabber. He was charged with battery and released on bond.
Just smoking ‘a little bud’
Neighbors in the 500 block of Elgin Avenue called police about a possible garage burglary taking place around 1:49 p.m., May 17, after seeing two men enter a side service door. When cops arrived and entered the open garage, they noticed a strong odor of burning cannabis.
One 23-year-old Oak Park man told police he and his friend were hanging out in the garage to “smoke a little bud.” The man had two false containers, one disguised as a 7Up can and one as a Planters Peanuts container. Both had false bottoms and contained baggies of a green leafy substance that turned out to be marijuana. The other man insisted the Oak Parker was there to sell him weed and showed the officers texts from his phone inquiring about purchasing it. Police arrested the first man, and recovered a digital scale and $269 from his possession. He was issued a local ordinance citation for possession of cannabis.
Brown spots on the wall
CTA security at 711 Desplaines Ave. summoned Forest Park police at 4:37 p.m., May 17, after they observed a passenger “defecate on the wall” of the station’s employee entrance. The 66-year-old Chicago man told police he “could no longer hold his bowel movement” and had inquired about a restroom, telling CTA staff it was an emergency. He said he was told, “There’s no public bathroom.” He was given a local ordinance for public defecation and apologized and cleaned up his mess after being cited, police said.
Yakking without headlights
Police curbed a 2011 Mercedes Benz driven by a 50-year-old Oak Park man near Circle Avenue and Madison Street around 12:10 a.m., May 18. The driver came to officer’s attention for speaking into a cellphone and driving with no headlights, according to reports. He was also missing a driver’s license, which had been revoked, and he had no proof of insurance. The Benz was towed away by NOBS Towing and police found that the driver had several previous arrests for driving with a revoked license. The assistant state’s attorney approved felony driving with license revoked charges. He was also charged with no proof of insurance, using a cellphone and driving without headlights.
Three-hour wait after accident
A 23-year-old Cicero man told police he drove his 2003 Chevy pickup truck into a parked Mercedes Benz in the 200 block of Desplaines around 5 a.m., May 18. The man said he damaged the Mercedes, and he and a friend waited until around 8:30 when the car’s owner exited the house to tell him his car had been damaged. The owner of the smashed vehicle called police, who discovered the pickup driver had never been issued a license. He was charged with no driver’s license.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, May 12-18, 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
