Knife-wielding subject attempts to rob man
A 22-year-old Forest Park man called police during the early morning hours of Sept. 9 to report that a man brandishing a pocket knife tried to rob him in the 400 block of Desplaines Avenue.
The victim told police he was walking southbound on Desplaines near McDonald’s when a male subject approached him and asked him for gas money, pointing to a box truck parked in the McDonald’s parking lot.
When the victim told the subject he didn’t have any cash, the offender reportedly pulled out a pocket knife, unfolded it and pointed the blade at the victim, demanding money.
The victim pulled out his wallet and showed the offender he had no cash, at which time the offender demanded the victim use his debit card to get cash from an ATM. After convincing the offender he didn’t have cash in his bank account, the victim walked south and called police.
The offender was described as a male (unknown race), about 5-foot-8, with gray hair, weighing 180 pounds and wearing a green T-shirt and tan shorts.
Shoplifter allegedly stabs store employee
A 29-year-old Chicago woman faces armed robbery charges after she allegedly stabbed a Walmart employee with scissors to prevent being apprehended during what began as a routine shoplifting incident at the Forest Park Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave., on Sept. 10 about 2:45 p.m.
According to police, Regina J. Finley stabbed the employee in the forearm with the scissors after he tried to prevent her from leaving the store with stolen merchandise. A second female subject with Finley was able to elude capture and was believed to have made off with four Bluetooth headsets valued at $157.
Store security told police that the two women entered the store and went to a cash register display where Finley removed two packages of Bic lighters and put them in her purse. In the electronics department, Finley was seen allegedly cutting security cables of three Bluetooth earbuds and putting the items in her purse. The second suspect reportedly cut cables to four Bluetooth headsets and concealing them on her person.
The two then walked toward the store exit where they were confronted by security employees. When one of the employees attempted to detain Finley, she allegedly spun around, wielding a pair of scissors and stabbed the employee in the forearm.
Police apprehended Finley outside the store and reported recovering the Bic lighters and the scissors. The other suspect was last seen running away in the Walmart parking lot.
Finley remains in custody at Cook County Jail. Her bond was set at $35,000.
Burglary
A resident of the 7500 block of Roosevelt Road called police on Sept. 2 to report that his apartment had been burglarized sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 11:43 p.m.
The victim stated he arrived home and found his belongings strewn about the residence. Police reported observing pry marks to the door and frame of the unit.
Missing from the unit were two flat-screen TVs, a Samsung sound bar, a Sony PlayStation 4 video game system, a Samsung smartwatch, a Movado watch and a pair of LeBron James basketball shoes.
A resident of the 100 block of Elgin Avenue reported on Sept. 6 that sometime between 1 and 4:15 p.m. someone broke into his residence and stole two cartons of cigarettes, $70 in cash and other items of clothing.
According to police, the offender gained entry to the residence by pushing up the screen of a bedroom window and pushing a fan that was behind the screen inside the room.
K-9 used to subdue suspect
Forest Park police used a K-9 unit to apprehend a 55-year-old Chicago man who was involved in a fight at the CTA Blue Line terminal, 711 Desplaines Ave. on Sept. 2 at 7:50 p.m.
Police responded to the station after receiving a report of a fight between two men, one of them possibly armed with a knife. When officers arrived, the two men were observed fighting on the west end of the train platform. One of the two combatants told police he was being held down by the 55-year-old, who was reaching for a knife.
Officers reportedly ordered the 55-year-old off the victim and ordered him multiple times to get on the ground and show his hands. When the man failed to do so, a K-9 officer released his dog, “commanding him to apprehend” the man.
Paramedics transported the man, who suffered bite wounds to his hand and abdomen, to Loyola Hospital for treatment. Police reported recovering a 6.5-inch knife from the man’s waistband and a box cutter from his pocket. An axe handle was recovered from his backpack.
He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, battery and resisting police.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Sept. 2-11, 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 Bob Uphues
