Man reportedly shot during robbery attempt
Forest Park police responded to the 1100 block of Elgin Avenue on Aug. 10 about 2:55 a.m. after someone called 911 to report that a 26-year-old man had been shot in the leg during a robbery attempt.
The victim told police the gun went off when he slapped the hand of the man pointing the gun at him. He was shot in the left thigh above the knee, said police. The bullet exited the rear of the knee and struck a gray Nissan Sentra in the passenger side door.
According to the police report, the victim and two other men arrived in the 1100 block of Elgin Avenue. Two of the men, one of them so intoxicated he needed assistance, got out to walk to a residence. The third man was asleep in the back seat of the car.
As the two men exited the vehicle, three vehicles reportedly drove up quickly and boxed them in. Three men, two of them brandishing handguns, reportedly demanded wallets from them.
At that time, one of the intended robbery victims slapped the right hand of one of the gunmen, causing the weapon to go off. At that time, the offenders entered their vehicles and fled, according to the police report, without taking anything from the victims.
Paramedics took the shooting victim to the hospital for treatment.
Woman reportedly robbed at gunpoint
A 25-year-old Forest Park woman said she was robbed of her purse and cellphone at gunpoint while she was walking in the 7400 block of Franklin Street about 9 p.m. on Aug. 10.
According to police, the victim said a man stepped from some bushes and pointed a silver handgun at her, demanding her purse and phone. The offender fled eastbound and the woman reportedly flagged down a car, which drove her to the Citgo gas station at 7323 Randolph St., where police were notified.
Cellphone snatched at el stop
A 47-year-old Forest Park woman called police on Aug. 9 about 7:40 a.m. after someone snatched her cellphone from her hand as she exited a train at the Blue Line stop at 701 Harlem Ave.
The offender ran onto the train as it departed. The victim said the incident took place about 6:30 a.m. and she screamed for help, but no one would let her use a phone to call 911. So she walked home and waited for a family member to come home so she could call police.
The phone case also contained the victim’s debit card and other identification.
Carwash employee hit with chair
A 54-year-old employee at Harlem Randolph Car Wash was taken to the hospital on Aug. 9 about 12:30 p.m. after a fellow employee reportedly hit him over the head with a chair after he admonished the co-worker for smoking cannabis while on the job.
The co-worker fled the scene before police arrived, and police are continuing their investigation into the incident. Paramedics took the victim, who suffered a large cut to the back of his head and a large lump on the top of his head, to Rush Oak Park Hospital for treatment.
Don’t leave keys in the ignition!
A 68-year-old man called police on Aug. 7 about 9:45 p.m. to report that his black 2010 Chrysler Sebring had been stolen within the last 15 minutes from the driveway of the Softball Hall of Fame in the 7600 block of Harrison Street.
The victim stated he’d left the car in the driveway with the keys in the ignition. When he returned, it was gone.
A resident of the 900 block of Thomas Avenue called police on Aug. 9 and reported that, during the overnight hours, someone had tried to steal his minivan, which was parked behind his residence.
The van had been moved partially into the alley from its parking space. The passenger side front window had been pried open and the ignition had been removed from the steering column.
Overnight vehicle break-ins
Forest Park police reported seven overnight vehicle break-ins last week where offenders targeted unlocked vehicles. Six of the vehicles were parked outside; one was inside an open garage.
Four of the incidents took place overnight on Aug. 11-12 in the 1100 block of Hannah, 7300 block of Lexington, 800 block of Elgin, and 100 block of Circle. The three others took place overnight on Aug. 9-10 in the 200 block of Desplaines, on Bergman Court and the 200 block of Brown Avenue.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Aug. 7-13, 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
