Mysterious shooting reported at McDonald’s
On July 30, around 10 p.m., Forest Park police officers responded to reports of a shooting at McDonald’s, 420 Desplaines Ave. Upon arrival, they found a 46-year-old man claiming to have been tied up in the men’s bathroom by an unknown assailant and robbed of a “substantial amount of money,” according to Police Chief Tom Aftanas. The police report indicated that the man had been robbed of at least $1,000.
The victim had a gunshot wound on his buttocks, according to police, but Aftanas described the wound as “not serious at all.” The man received treatment at Loyola University Medical Center and was released after about 45 minutes.
There were several patrons in the restaurant at the time. However, no one reported hearing anything unusual. The unidentified shooter, according to the victim, fled on foot. The victim described the offender as a male Hispanic in his early 20s, wearing a dark blue shirt and glasses. The offender reportedly had a six-point star tattooed under his left eye and was wearing latex gloves.
A female employee told police she heard someone banging on the door of the men’s restroom. When she opened the door, the victim was standing inside with his ankles and wrists bound in duct tape. There was also duct tape over his mouth.
The victim told police that the offender said he didn’t like the fact that the victim saw his face and fired a shot at him before leaving the restroom.
The investigation is ongoing, but there are no suspects in custody at this time. Police are reviewing surveillance camera footage.
According to police, the victim has not been cooperative in helping identify a suspect.
“There are still a lot of questions to be answered,” Aftanas said.
Apartment burglarized
A resident of the 1000 block of Troost Avenue contacted police on July 29 about 7:05 p.m. to report that his apartment had been burglarized.
According to the police report, there were no signs of forced entry but the tenant said he always locks the door when he leaves. When the tenant returned to his residence that evening, he noticed the dead bolt to his door was unlocked.
Missing from the apartment was an Apple iPad in a black case; a Toshiba 17-inch laptop computer; a black wooden jewelry box containing 15 pairs of gold and silver cuff links, a silver diamond ring, a silver diamond-faced watch, and a navy blue Nike duffel bag.
A resident of the 7200 block of Randolph Street contacted police to report that two bicycles and a bicycle tire were stolen from her garage sometime between July 21 and 27.
The bikes were described as a silver/gray Schwinn and a teal/green Roadmaster.
Vehicle break-ins
Forest Park police reported a number of burglaries to vehicles in the past week, with all of them happening in the same general vicinity in the village.
Two break-ins happened during the overnight hours of July 27-28 in the 1100 block of Dunlop Avenue and the 1100 block of Lathrop Avenue. In both instances, the vehicles were parked in the rear of the residence.
Taken from a 2008 Pontiac G6 parked behind the residence on Dunlop was a GPS unit. Taken from a 2000 Pontiac parked behind the residence on Lathrop was about $1.50 in loose change.
Also during the overnight hours of July 27-28, someone entered a 2007 Chevy Impala parked in the rear of a residence in the 900 block of Ferdinand Avenue. There was a pry mark under the driver’s side door lock, but nothing was believed to be missing from the vehicle, whose alarm system scared away the offender.
A 2001 Dodge parked in the 900 block of Lathrop Avenue was also ransacked by an unknown offender during the overnight hours of July 27-28. That car was unlocked, according to police. Nothing was reported missing.
During the overnight hours of Aug. 1-2, someone took an iPod Nano from an unlocked 2001 Lincoln Navigator parked in the 1100 block of Troost Avenue.
Drug arrest
A Fox River Grove man on parole for burglary was charged with possession of a controlled substance after police reported finding 16 plastic bags filled with a total of about 7 grams of heroin.
A police officer running plates on I-290 pulled over Adam K. Swaggerty, 24, for having expired registration. Police also learned his driver’s license was suspended and arrested him.
The drugs were reportedly found in the center console of the vehicle Swaggerty was driving.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, July 27 to Aug. 2, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
—Compiled by Tom Vogel and Bob Uphues
