Man dodges punch, detains suspect
Police responded about 1:29 a.m. to calls of a car alarm sounding and a mysterious person sighted on the 1300 block of Circle Avenue on Oct. 7. Officers saw a man run behind a home and flee south down an alley toward Roosevelt Road. They later found him “checking on cars” on the 1200 block of Circle. There, a car owner told police he found the man in his parked Hyundai and that he was “stuffing things in his pockets.” When the victim approached the man, the man asked, “Hey is this your car?” then got out of the Hyundai and attempted to punch the victim. The victim dodged the man’s punch and pushed the man to the ground, holding him there until police arrived.
Police identified the man as Antwon Johnson, who told officers he was homeless and steals from cars in order to eat. Officers found several tools, electronic cords, a knife and change on Johnson.
He received a felony charge of burglary to the Hyundai and one count of criminal trespass to real property.
Fight at Taco Bell
Police arrived about 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 2 at Taco Bell, 7510 Roosevelt Road, on a call about a fight. A witness told officers a mother and her two daughters entered about 15 minutes earlier and said they were not happy with their service at the drive-through window. One woman began yelling and threw a bucket of water and a “slippery when wet” floor sign over the counter. The trio then left the restaurant momentarily but returned and punched an employee in the right eye and upper lip. Witnesses separated the group. The women left the restaurant and fled south in a red sedan.
The victim was transported to Loyola Medical Center for care.
Traffic accident, DUI
Police responded to a minor traffic accident about 12:22 a.m. on Oct. 3 in front of US Bank, 7525 Madison St. The driver of a Hyundai Elantra told police a Kia rear-ended her vehicle. Officers parked their squad cars behind the two vehicles, in an effort to stop them from fleeing, but the Kia snaked around the cars and fled north on Desplaines. Police eventually stopped the vehicle in the alley behind 7519 Madison St.
Officers asked the driver for identification, and Denise Williams-Bergemann handed police her Illinois driver’s license and Cook County voter registration card. When she tried to exit the vehicle, she almost fell to the ground, and used an officer’s arm and car door for support. Police smelled a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.
The woman told police she had been drinking earlier in the day. She was placed in custody and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
DUI on Madison
Police spotted a Toyota Camry westbound on Madison Street, weaving through the lanes at 12:19 a.m. on Oct. 7. Officers stopped Robert Frey, 33, of Wheaton, at 1100 Madison St., asked him for his identification, and Frey handed officers a jumble of credit cards along with his driver’s license. Police smelled alcohol on his breath, and Frey told officers he had drank two beers at Mugsy’s prior to driving.
Frey stopped and started the walk-and-turn test, lost balance while standing on one leg, and was unable to focus on the top of the officer’s pen. During the tests, he continually asked police if he could just park his car and call an Uber home. He refused a breath test.
He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without lights when required.
Star Energy scam
A representative claiming to be from Star Energy Partners LLC approached a home on the 100 block of Marengo Avenue on Sept. 29.
The victim, 66, told police the representative was fast-talking, and said Star Energy Partners was a partner with the ComEd energy provider. The victim signed a contract the representative provided him. After he signed, the man told him his contract with ComEd would be terminated. The victim told police he was not warned of this before signing. He immediately told the Star Energy representative he wanted to cancel the contract he just signed, but the rep told him that he needed to contact Star Energy himself.
He called Star Energy’s offices and a representative there told him his contract with the firm would be terminated, and that they would notify ComEd to continue his old contract. On Oct. 1, the victim received a letter from ComEd acknowledging the change to Star Energy.
He called ComEd, reinstated his old account, and then contacted Star Energy again to formally cancel the agreement. He filed a police report to warn other victims of deceptive practices.
Man in truck rides off with merchandise
A man in a semi rode off with a trailer full of Walmart merchandise about 1:51 a.m. on Oct. 5, according to security footage from the retail store.
The footage shows a man drive to the rear of 1300 Desplaines Ave., get out of the truck and examine a store trailer full of merchandise. The man then drove up to the trailer, hooked it to the rear of his truck and exited the lot, fleeing north on Desplaines.
Walmart employees said the trailer contained approximately $128,700 worth of shoes, electronics, pharmacy items and more.
Chicago police recover stolen Tesla
A man stole a Tesla parked on the 100 block of Marengo about 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 6. The victim told police he left his Tesla parked there for no more than 10 minutes and was leaving his friend’s house, when he watched a man get into his car and drive north on Marengo Avenue. When he attempted to call 911, he realized his iPhone 7 was still in the car, which he purchased last week.
The victim was able to track his iPhone, and told police it was located in Chicago in the North Lawndale neighborhood. The Chicago Police Department recovered the Tesla at 11:05 a.m. in a garage on the 1800 block of Christiana Ave. in the city. An officer said the garage has been a “stash place” for stolen vehicles in the past. The iPhone was not found in the car.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Oct. 1-8, 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
