Battery at the Blue Line
Police arrived at the Harlem Blue Line station, 701 Harlem Ave., about 3:07 a.m. on June 4, on a call that a woman had been struck in the face.
When officers arrived, they saw a woman seated on a bench, holding her nose and crying. Her nose was extremely swollen with a cut on its bridge, and blood covered her face, hands and clothing. She was transported to Rush Oak Park Hospital.
A witness told police the man who struck her fled west on the platform and exited onto Circle Avenue.
Police spotted Charles W. Perry, 38, of Chicago, at the intersection of Desplaines and Harrison. He was with a 39-year-old woman. They were transported to the CTA station, where Perry was identified as the man who struck the woman.
At the hospital, the woman told police she uses the Blue Line to get to work at Elite Staffing in Forest Park. She said she was walking toward the exit when Perry accused her of touching him. He then allegedly struck her in the face, which caused her to fall backwards and hit her head on the concrete platform.
“That’s what you get for touching me,” Perry reportedly said. The woman denied ever touching Perry. A surveillance video shows that they had no contact before he struck her.
Perry was charged with aggravated battery, a felony.
Registration check reveals guns, drugs
Officers performed a random registration check on a car at 11:48 p.m. on June 4 on the 200 block of Harlem Avenue. They found that the Nissan Altima’s registration had expired.
After curbing the car, they immediately smelled cannabis coming from the vehicle. Driver Hector A. Garcia, 26, of Maywood, told police he had a temporary driver’s license but didn’t know where it was. He handed officers a valid insurance card.
Garcia said he and the passenger had just smoked marijuana in the car but there wasn’t any left. When police asked to search the vehicle, Garcia said he actually did have cannabis in the center console and showed it to officers.
Police searched the Nissan and found nearly $3,800 in cash, two more bags of marijuana, a loaded .45 caliber Glock 36, a bag containing suspected cocaine, suspected oxycodone pills, and a baby’s bottle containing a suspected codeine drink.
The passenger, 23, told police he used to be part of the Latin Kings gang but got out because he has a child now. He said he had no idea the guns or drugs were in the car, and that he has a medical marijuana card, which was used to legally purchase the cannabis. He was released from the scene.
Garcia was charged with unlawful use or possession of a weapon by a felon, as well as expired registration, possession of a controlled substance, possession of cannabis, manufacture/delivery of cannabis, and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance.
DUI driver attempts hit-and-run
Officers saw a Ford Explorer strike a parked Toyota at 2:08 a.m. on June 7 at 7505 Madison St. then continue west on Madison Street without stopping.
Officers curbed the vehicle on the 7600 block of Madison Street. Driver David Onofre Onofre, 23, of Chicago, reportedly said, “My bad” when police approached the car. He said he drank two beers earlier but could not remember the name of the bar he was coming from. Officers spotted an empty beer can in the center console and another smashed between the passenger seat and center console.
Onofre Onofre told them he didn’t stop after hitting the car because there was no room to pull over. Police also found he did not hold a valid driver’s license.
After failing the sobriety tests, he was transported to the station, where he refused a breathalyzer.
In addition to no valid driver’s license, he was also charged with aggravated driving under the influence (DUI), leaving the scene of an accident and illegal transportation of alcohol.
One ticketed in rowdy funeral
Police were monitoring a rowdy funeral traveling west on Jackson Boulevard about 5:06 p.m. on June 8, when they spotted an Infiniti pass more than 10 cars on the left side and fail to stop at a stop sign. Officers curbed the vehicle near the intersection of Desplaines Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. The driver stuck his head out an open door, told police he was part of a funeral and drove off. Twice more during the procession he stopped and started his car in the middle of the road.
Police mailed a ticket for negligent driving to the vehicle owner.
Juveniles lift packages
Police responded to a building on the 7700 block of Van Buren Street at 12:04 p.m. on June 3, on a call that two boys had stolen packages from the building lobby.
A witness told police she was looking out her window and saw one of the boys examine a recently delivered package. He then picked up the package and walked south on Van Buren Street.
Officers stopped two boys, 12 and 13, walking with the package on the 7700 block of Van Buren. The witness positively identified them as the thieves who took the item. They were transported to the station, where they lied about their names and said they did not have a family member who could pick them up. Officers eventually determined their identity through the iClear database and called the Chicago Police Department for the contact information for a family member.
The boys were each charged with theft.
Thief rides off with bike
Sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. on June 6, someone stole a bike from a home on the 900 block of Hannah Avenue. The victim told police her garage door was unlocked. The bike was valued at $550.
Burglar takes lawnmower
Sometime between 8 p.m. on June 5 and 7 a.m. on June 6, someone stole a lawnmower from a home on Lathrop Avenue. The victim said the mower was worth $190.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, June 3-9, 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.
Nona Tepper
