Armed thief pirates store deposit at Long John Silver’s
A Long John Silver’s employee walked outside to deposit the store’s earnings from the day when a man with a gun demanded she drop her purse, cash and personal belongings.
The employee walked to her car parked outside 123 Harlem Ave. about 9:27 p.m. on April 14, when a man pushed a gun to her head and demanded, “Give me your money,” according to the police report. “What money?” she responded. “Your money,” he said. The woman threw down her grey purse and crouched on the ground. The man then pointed the gun to her face, and ordered her to go back inside the restaurant. She told police the man took the $1,500 store deposit, along with $80 in personal cash, cellphone and IDs that were in her purse.
Another employee, who told police it was his third day on the job and that he was training to be store manager, was outside when the robbery occurred. He said the man pointed his gun at him and ordered him back in the store. He believes the store deposit was $1,900. The robber reportedly ran westbound on Dixon Street, and made it to Elgin Avenue.
Fraudsters scam woman out of $6K
After purportedly finding $100,000, two men claiming to be HOBO employees scammed a woman into paying them $6,000.
The woman was entering Living Word Christian Center about 10:30 a.m. on April 10 when a man approached her asking for help reading the numbers on a bag, according to the police report. The woman declined his offer. He then went up to another man nearby asking for help reading the numbers on the bag, and the second man claimed not to be able to read the numbers. The two then opened the bag and claimed to find more than $100,000 worth of cash, bonds and lottery tickets inside.
The first man said he was an employee from HOBO and went inside the store to have the store manager count the funds. The other man stayed outside with the victim. After a few minutes, the first man returned and said the manager confirmed there was $100,000 worth of cash and lottery tickets and at least $740,000 worth of bonds in the bag. He said the HOBO manager told him he would take possession of the bag and give each of the three people $50,000, so long as the three had an initial $50,000 down payment. The three agreed the woman would only have to put $10,000 in.
The woman didn’t have the money to cover the proposed down payment, so she drove to a credit union and withdrew $5,600 and added $400 in cash to the group’s bundle. She returned to HOBO, where the first man then went inside the store to tell the manager she didn’t have enough. The second man waited with her for a while, but then got out of the car to use the bathroom. He never returned.
The woman waited around for an hour, and then went inside the HOBO. She asked the store manager about the incident. He said he had no idea what she was talking about and did not have any employees who matched the scammers’ description.
Burglars take cash, laser from car
At some point between Jan. 20 and 21, burglars broke into a man’s car, parked on the 700 block of Polk Street, and stole a man’s wallet containing credit cards and $40 cash. Offenders also took a laser valued at $60. The man said his doors were not secured.
Car stolen from Thornton’s
A man stole a woman’s car after she left it unlocked, parked and running during a quick trip to Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., on April 11, according to the police report.
Police responded about 9:25 p.m. and the victim reported she left her parked car unlocked and running while she stopped in to shop. When she returned, her car was gone.
A short time later, an Oak Park police officer spotted a vehicle, whose registration and description matched the stolen car, parked on Madison Street, just east of Austin Boulevard. A Forest Park officer arrived on the scene and was able to confirm the driver’s description, based on the Thornton’s video surveillance. Police detained the man, and found a small package of tinfoil containing four grams of PCP on him. Police then transported the victim to the scene, who identified the suspect as the one who stole her vehicle.
Police charged the man with motor vehicle theft.
Gas siphoned from parked car
At some point between 6 p.m. on April 14 and 11 a.m. on April 15, someone stole all the gas from a car parked in the Forest Park Baptist Church parking lot, according to a police report.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 9-15, 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 Nona Tepper
