Driver hits officer’s car during chase, crashes into median
Police charged a Chicago man with aggravated attempt to elude a police officer and possession of ammunition by a felon on May 25.
About 5 p.m., officers spotted Cardell Coleman, 20, pacing and looking at his cellphone in the Walgreens parking lot, 1200 Elgin Ave. When police pulled up, Coleman immediately walked over to the neighboring Subway. Eventually an Infiniti pulled into the Subway lot. The Infiniti had dark-tinted windows and reportedly smelled of cannabis. Police turned on their lights and the Infiniti raced out of the lot. At the intersection of Harlem and Roosevelt, the Infiniti tried to strike the police car.
As the fleeing vehicle pulled onto I-290, the driver lost control and struck a concrete wall. Trying to recover, the vehicle struck a nearby police officer’s car, another concrete wall and side-swiped several other vehicles, then drove east on I-290 with its hood up and a blown tire. At Austin Boulevard, the driver got out of the car and started running on the expressway. Police got out of their cars and started chasing him on foot across the lanes. Oak Park officers eventually nabbed him.
Inside the vehicle police found several cellphones, a blunt of marijuana, small plastic baggies often used for storing narcotics and a round of live ammunition. On his person, they found $501 in cash. A name check of Coleman revealed he is a convicted felon and cannot be in possession of ammunition. He was charged with a felony.
Facebook grant scam
A Forest Park woman reported about 10:58 a.m. on May 25 that she lost all her savings and cash advances. She told police someone claiming to be her sister-in-law’s sister added her as a friend on Facebook and started messaging her about a $200,000 workers compensation government grant that she allegedly won. The Facebook friend gave her contact information to an alleged FBI agent, who later called her about the grant. He told her she could start the process if she had $2,850 to secure and insure the grant.
The victim took out the money and deposited it in a Bank of America account. The purported FBI agent then told her she needed an additional $19,500 and later asked for additional funds. The woman drained her credit card accounts and 401K, paying out a total of $34,050. The entire time her “friend” told her how great it felt to be out of debt.
12-year-old’s phone stolen
A man ran up to a 12-year-old standing on the 900 block of Thomas about 3:13 p.m. on June 1 and stole his iPhone 7, valued about $650. The boy told police he and his friend walked to the backyard of the house, and saw a man leaning against the garage. The man then ran at the victim and took his phone. The friend tried to tackle the man, and held onto his leg to slow him down, but the man kicked himself free. The man then got into a blue Ford Taurus and drove away.
Tire stolen
Between 1 p.m. on May 18 and 9:27 p.m. on May 27, someone stole a spare tire valued at $250 from the back of a Jeep parked on the 100 block of Desplaines Avenue.
Thief rides off with bike
At some point between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on May 25, someone stole a bike valued at $600 from the Harlem Blue Line CTA station, 711 Desplaines Ave.
Lifting groceries, purse lifted
A woman was unloading groceries in the 100 block of Elgin Avenue about 2:30 p.m., May 28, when someone took several items from her car. The victim said she parked her car in her driveway for about 15 minutes and when she returned, her purse was taken, which included her wallet, credit cards, two pairs of prescription glasses, an iPhone 5 and a pre-loaded Ventra card. She said her car was unlocked.
Recognized for home repair fraud
Police spotted a Dodge Charger pull into Thornton’s gas station about 5:17 p.m. on May 30 with another car. The driver of the Dodge got out of the car, and started talking with the occupants of the neighboring vehicle. As the officer watched the two talk, he recognized the driver of the Dodge as a man who was wanted by the Desplaines Police Department for home repair fraud and uses a Forest Park address. Police detained the man and transferred him to Desplaines police.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, May 25-June 3, 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
