Ladies, holster your Tasers
On Sept. 20 around 7:10 p.m., Forest Park police responded to a call that a group of women were fighting each other with Tasers in the 1000 block of Desplaines Avenue. Cops arrived and broke up the fight, confiscating two stun devices from one offender’s car. The women were between the ages of 18 and 20 and came from Berwyn, Lombard and Wheaton. The juvenile, age 17, sustained injuries in the fight and was taken to Oak Park Hospital. Cops confiscated the Tasers and charged the owner of the car, age 20 from Berwyn, with resisting and obstructing an officer. The other two women were issued local ordinance tickets for public fighting.
At least he’s not driving
Forest Park police observed a 34-year-old Maywood man pedaling a small blue girl’s bicycle in the 7400 block of Roosevelt Road around 10:30 a.m., Sept. 15. The man had no ID but told police the bike was his daughter’s, and he was “only going to the bank.” When police finally got his name, it turned out he had an outstanding Cook County warrant for DUI. He was taken into custody and held for Sheriff’s police. No other charges were filed. The bike was held by police.
Cellphone chatting
Around 8:45 a.m. Sept. 16, a 27-year-old Berwyn woman was pulled over in her 1999 Chevy Cavalier after officers observed her yammering on a cellphone in the 1800 block of Desplaines Avenue. Turns out, she had a suspended driver’s license and no proof of insurance. The Chevy was confiscated and a $500 administrative tow fee was assessed. She was charged with no insurance, no license and operating an electronic communications device while driving. She was released with a court date and told police she was walking to the bus stop.
Candy flinger
Forest Park police observed a 47-year-old Chicago driver fling a candy box out the window of a red 2014 Ford around 1:40 a.m., Sept. 18. Cops discovered the male driver had a suspended license. He was charged with driving with license suspended and “depositing material in roadway.”
Cigarette pack tosser
A Forest Park officer on foot, in uniform, observed a woman stop her blue Nissan in the middle of the street near the Starbucks at Madison Street and Elgin Avenue around 4:20 p.m., Sept. 20. The officer saw her shuffle through papers and items in her car, then fling an empty cigarette pack out the driver’s side window. When asked to stop, the woman reportedly said she hadn’t done anything wrong and tried to drive away. The officer jumped back in the squad car and curbed the woman’s car a block north. In spite of the driver and passenger loudly protesting their innocence and claiming they didn’t realize the officer was a cop, the 24-year-old Berwyn woman was issued a local ordinance ticket for littering.
Residence ransacked
A house in the 800 block of Harlem was broken into between 1 and 2:40 p.m. by someone who forced open the basement door and ransacked the house, turning over a bed in the bedroom and rifling through closets and cabinets. A television was left behind in the living room, removed from its stand. Residents could not identify anything that had been taken.
Blue Line black eye
At around 9 a.m., Sept. 17, police were summoned to the CTA Blue Line terminus at 711 Desplaines Ave. after witnesses said a man had punched a fellow passenger in the face. A witness pointed out the offender, who was attempting to slink away, and the victim who was still waiting for a bus. Police reports say a 45-year-old Maywood man and a 39-year-old man were violently arguing when the yet-unsuspecting victim turned away and put on some headphones to try to ignore the other man. The offender punched him in the right eye. Firefighters transported the victim to Oak Park Hospital for treatment of the shiner, which was cut and bleeding. The offender was placed in custody and charged with battery.
Underage bar-hoppers
Around 9:45 p.m., Sept. 19, a 19-year-old Oak Park man was nabbed walking at Harlem Avenue and Franklin Street, carrying a green stein-like mug from which he was sipping while walking. An officer asked him what was in the mug and he denied it contained alcohol. He showed it to the officer, who detected a strong smell of beer and issued the man a local ordinance ticket for possession of alcohol by a minor.
Around 12:30 a.m. the same night, Forest Park cops stopped at Slainte, 7505 Madison St., to spot-check for underage drinkers in the bar. A young woman produced an Indiana driver’s license containing a photo that looked nothing like her. Once outside, she confessed the license was fake and that, in fact, she was 19 and lived in River Forest. She was issued a local ordinance ticket for entering a bar while under 21 and sent on her way.
Dog at large
A pet described as a “small, grey coyote-esque dog” was reported to be running in the street near the 400 block of Thomas Avenue around noon, Sept. 19. By the time cops arrived, the beast was being held by an unknown man who said he had captured the dog as it ran in the street causing a disturbance. The dog was placed in the back of a squad car and taken to Animal Care League in Oak Park. The dog’s owner came to inquire how to recover the dog and was cited with a local ordinance ticket for a dog at large.
Boozing by Dumpster
Around 12:25 a.m. Sept. 20, police observed four men standing in a fenced-off employee Dumpster area near the CTA Green Line Harlem stop. They were not wearing CTA uniforms and appeared to be attempting to conceal something. As the officer walked up, he heard two loud “thud” sounds, consistent with an object hitting metal, coming from the Dumpster. The 23-year-old men, two from Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and two from Gurnee, told police they were trying to catch a cab. The officer opened the Dumpster and discovered two loose water bottles filled with brown, brackish liquid that smelled like alcohol. They were issued local ordinance citations for transporting alcohol in public.
Child-luring attempt
Around 6:45 p.m., Sept. 21, a 14-year-old girl walking near Desplaines Avenue and Randolph Street told police a newer model dark blue four-door vehicle slowed down, and a male driver leaned out the window and asked, “Do you want to make some money?” The girl replied “No!” and continued walking west on Randolph. She told police the vehicle made a U-turn in the Submarine Tender parking lot and proceeded westward, continuing to follow her as she walked to Lathrop. She said the car then stopped following her and she didn’t know which way it proceeded.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, Sept.15-21, 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.
Jean Lotus
