Man asks to be arrested at Blue Line
Police arrived at Forest Park Blue Line station at 1:48 a.m. on July 22 and found a man refusing to leave and threatening CTA officers.
CTA employees told police they believe the man broke windows on a train car that just left the station, but didn’t have access to video in order to prosecute him. When they told the man he had to leave the station, he immediately became argumentative and challenged CTA officers to a fight.
Police attempted to escort the man down the station stairs, but the man broke free and charged toward a CTA officer. A Forest Park police officer intervened and stopped the man by guiding him to the wall with a stiff arm.
As police escorted the man out of the station, he attempted to break free again and challenge the CTA officer. Police told him he would have to leave or be arrested. The man asked to be arrested. He was transported to the police station and arrested for intoxication.
Man threatens Wingstop employee with scissors
A man barred from Wingstop entered the restaurant at 4:44 p.m. on July 22, threatening an employee with scissors.
The employee told the man he had to leave 1215 Harlem. The man responded that he had a pair of scissors in his right pocket and said, “I’m going to kill you after you get off of work.”
Police arrived and charged the man with trespassing and aggravated assault.
Car stolen on Desplaines
At some point between 10:30 p.m. on July 19 and 12:10 a.m. on July 20, a man told police someone stole his Chevy Suburban parked on the 100 block of Desplaines Avenue. The man told officers the doors were locked and the vehicle does not have an alarm.
Two cars broken into
At some point between 9 p.m. on July 16 and 2 p.m. on July 17, someone stole $4 from a Jeep Cherokee parked on the 1100 block of Circle. A neighbors video camera recorded two men entering a Mercedes Benz parked nearby about 12:05 a.m. on July 17.
Three juveniles tamper cars
Police responded at 12:25 a.m. on the 1100 block of Hannah on July 17 on a call that three juveniles were tampering with vehicles in the area.
The caller said he was watching three men checking vehicle doors. He told police he saw one of the men enter an unlocked Chrysler, but then immediately exit. The group walked west toward Roosevelt Road.
Officers spotted the group on the 7500 block of Roosevelt. All three stated they were near Hannah because they were trying to find the CTA Blue Line, and denied entering any vehicles. The caller arrived at the scene, but was unable to identify anyone who entered a vehicle. Police talked to the owner of the Chrysler who said he left it unlocked. The man searched the car, and found nothing missing. He declined to press charges.
Police drove the three men home.
Power washer lifted from garage
At some point between 10 a.m. on July 20 and 4 p.m. on July 21, someone stole a power washer valued at $159 from a garage on the 100 block of Marengo. The victim said he accidentally left the overhead garage door open.
Employee shoved at Living Fresh Market
A Living Fresh Market employee called police at 4:45 p.m. on July 18, saying employees watched a man walk out of the store with a case of beer without paying. Employees confronted the man at 7520 Roosevelt Rd. and attempted to bring him back to the store’s security offices. The man responded by using both hands to shove the employee in the chest.
Police arrived and issued the man a criminal trespass warning and told him not to return to the store or parking lot.
Man arrested on active warrants after fleeing gas station
Police observed a Kia back into a pump at Thornton’s gas station at 5:25 p.m. on July 18.
While parked, officers watched the driver swivel his head several times, observing the parking lot. No one exited the vehicle. Eventually, the Kia exited 601 Harlem and police followed the vehicle and watched it enter the I-290 without using a turn signal.
When officers curbed the Kia, they smelled a slight odor of cannabis coming from the vehicle. The passenger said she had to get out of the car to get her license, couldn’t find the car insurance and told officers “we changed our minds” about why they didn’t exit the car at the gas station.
A name check of the driver revealed that he had three active warrants for his arrest, and several previous arrests for possession of cannabis and battery. Police arrested the man, who started yelling that he was being arrested in front of his child, called officers names and tensing up his arms to resist arrest.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, July 16-22, 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
