Cops: Man passed ambulance at 96 mph on Roosevelt
Forest Park police charged a 22-year-old Melrose Park man with reckless driving, speeding and improper passing after an officer reported his 2011 Subaru Impreza blow past an ambulance at 96 mph in a 35 mph zone while eastbound from First Avenue on Roosevelt Road.
The officer was headed westbound and pulled to the curb to allow room for an eastbound ambulance to pass by. Then the officer reported seeing the Subaru traveling behind the ambulance, which had its siren sounding and lights flashing, at a high rate of speed before passing it. Police radar showed the Subaru was going 96 mph, the officer reported.
The officer did a U-turn and caught up to the Subaru around Circle Avenue before curbing the vehicle near Harlem Avenue. Police also reported recovering a black XBG air pistol, which was wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. On the floor, police said was an air pistol magazine loaded with 13 steel BBs.
Can’t use it like that
Forest Park police cited an able-bodied 53-year-old Chicago woman for improperly displaying a handicapped parking placard in order to use a handicapped parking space at a convenience store.
The officer stated that the woman pulled her 2015 Chevy sedan into the handicapped spot at 7-Eleven, 205 Harlem Ave., on Feb. 21 about 11:30 p.m. and returned a few minutes later carrying a bag of snacks.
The officer informed the woman that the handicapped placard was registered to a 26-year-old man, who turned out to be the woman’s son. The officer informed the woman that the placard could only be used when her son was present.
The woman was issued a citation and the officer also confiscated the placard.
Home break-in on Marengo
A resident of the 1400 block of Marengo Avenue called police on Feb. 21 about 6 p.m. to report that someone had broken into her home while she was at work.
According to police, the rear door of the residence was shattered and a bedroom and office inside the house had been ransacked. Jewelry valued at roughly $1,400 was taken from the office.
Burglary from vehicle
Police responded to the 1400 block of Elgin Avenue on Feb. 21 just after midnight when a resident called to report a burglary in progress at a residence there. The victim told the officer he heard a loud banging noise coming from the rear of the building.
The officer discovered that someone had pulled out the door lock assembly of a truck parked in the driveway. The vehicle had been ransacked and several items had been taken, including a box containing a circular saw and a nail gun. Other items were found on the ground near the rear of the property, police said.
A white Toyota or Kia that may have been involved in the incident was seen leaving the area around the time police arrived.
Package theft
Police responded to the 400 block of Desplaines Avenue after a resident called to report that two packages delivered to her building on Feb. 22 were stolen.
The victim stated that when she arrived home about 6 p.m., she saw an unknown man walk out of the lobby of the building carrying two packages. The victim said she wasn’t sure if the packages were hers and had to check to make sure hers were delivered.
It turned out the packages, which each contained a stainless-steel cart, had been delivered that day and were likely the ones being carried out of the lobby by the unknown man.
Police searched the area for the offender but were unable to identify a suspect.
How did I get here?
A 32-year-old Chicago man was charged with criminal damage to property and a variety of traffic offenses after he reportedly drove his 2012 Volkswagen Passat up onto the sidewalk in the 7500 block of Madison Street on Feb. 20 about 9:40 p.m. and damaged two flower pots.
The responding officer also reported seeing the man walk to the driver’s side of a 2008 Dodge, which was parked nearby, and rip off the driver’s side mirror and throw it to the ground.
The man, who had a suspended driver’s license, reportedly told police he didn’t know why he drove onto the sidewalk and into the flower pot, a light pole and the parked Dodge. Also, he didn’t know why he tore off the Dodge’s mirror, police said.
According to police, the man was on parole for a drug possession conviction at the time of the incident.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Feb. 20-26, 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
