A 21-year-old Forest Park man faces felony weapons charges after he allegedly fired several rounds into the ground in the backyard of his apartment building in the 1100 block of Beloit Avenue on Aug. 10 about 6:20 p.m.
No one was hurt in the incident, which prompted people to call 911 to report shots fired in the neighborhood. When police arrived, they observed the alleged offender, Anthony Marquez, exiting the laundry room of the building.
He initially denied owning or firing a gun, saying he’d lit off fireworks. Police observed a spent shell casing at the scene and went inside the building to make sure no one had been shot inside.
Inside Marquez’s apartment, police reported finding a box of .40-caliber ammunition that matched the shell casing found outside. Police later reported finding a black and silver Smith & Wesson SD-40 handgun inside a washing machine in the laundry room, and witnesses reportedly identified Marquez as the person shooting something off in the backyard.
Marquez eventually admitted shooting the gun several times into the ground, according to police.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charging Marquez with felony counts of reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. As of Aug. 13, Marquez was being held without bond at Cook County Jail awaiting a hearing that day at the Maybrook courthouse.
Cops can’t corner stolen car
The driver of a stolen vehicle was able to elude police — in good part by smashing into two squad cars trying to block him in — during a pursuit on Aug. 6 that began in Forest Park and ended on the West Side of Chicago.
Police conducting a routine registration check of a black 2009 BMW 750 at Thorton’s gas station, 600 Harlem Ave., about 1:50 a.m., learned the vehicle was reported stolen out of Chicago.
An officer followed the BMW, without using lights or siren, onto eastbound I-290 and then onto the exit ramp at Central Avenue. Another police squad car arrived and pulled in front of the BMW, which was stopped at a red light with the squad car that had been following it immediately behind.
At that time both officers turned on their vehicles’ emergency lights. The driver of the BMW accelerated and struck the squad car in front of it before reversing and then striking the other squad car.
The BMW was able to get around the car in front, drive over the Central Avenue median and back onto eastbound I-290, eluding police, who terminated the pursuit at that point.
Car passenger hit with gun charge
A 23-year-old Chicago resident faces an unlawful use of a weapon charge after he was found to be in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun inside a car stopped for a routine matter on Aug. 10 at 3:10 a.m. in the 100 block of Harlem Avenue.
Police stopped the 2006 Infiniti M30 for having no front license plate. During the stop, police reported detecting the odor of cannabis and asked the 19-year-old driver if they could search the car. During the search, they found the handgun under the front passenger seat, where the 23-year-old was sitting. The man did not possess a concealed-carry card, according to police.
The driver was cited for the missing license plate, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Possession of ammo
Forest Park police charged an 18-year-old Oak Park man with five misdemeanor weapons offenses after finding him in possession of handgun ammunition while looking for two armed robbery suspects inside a Berwyn residence on Aug. 5.
Police went to a residence in the 2100 block of Clarence Avenue about 10:50 a.m. where they believed they might be able to take two armed robbery suspects into custody. A vehicle belonging to someone who lives at the residence reportedly served as the getaway car after the robbery.
The two suspects weren’t there, but the Oak Park man was, and police took him into custody pertaining to the armed robbery case. During a pat-down for weapons, police discovered four .38-caliber rounds in his pants pocket.
He was charged with four counts of possession of firearm ammunition and possession of ammunition without a Firearm Owner’s ID.
Garage burglary
Police responded to an Elgin Avenue residence on the evening of Aug. 6 after a resident called to report that sometime between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., someone had entered his unlocked garage and removed a Black and Decker electric lawnmower, valued at about $100.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Aug. 5-11, 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 Bob Uphues
