Two men face armed robbery charges after allegedly robbing a 29-year-old Oak Park man at knifepoint of his cellphone, book bag, work boots and Apple watch on Sept. 28 about 7:15 p.m. outside the CTA Green Line station at 1 Harlem Ave.
Police identified the offenders as Anthony J. Siciliano, 36, of Maywood and Dawayne A. Tolliver, 61, of Maywood. A third suspect was not charged.
The victim reported to police that as he exited the CTA station, Tolliver came up from behind and grabbed him by the neck. Then Siciliano allegedly approached, holding a knife, and stated he was robbing the victim.
Siciliano also reportedly threatened a 23-year-old Forest Park woman who tried to intervene before both offenders fled the scene.
Oak Park police arrested Siciliano near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue, and the robbery victim reportedly identified him to police. Tolliver was taken into custody near the CTA station. In addition to robbery, Siciliano was also charged with aggravated assault.
Later, Forest Park police would charge Siciliano with criminal damage to property and four counts of resisting arrest after he allegedly destroyed items in the police station interview room and threw a chair at an assistant state’s attorney interviewing him.
Employee ‘stomped’ trying to stop theft
A 25-year-old Oswego man has been charged with robbery, aggravated battery and resisting arrest after he allegedly punched a CVS Pharmacy employee in the head and then stomped him before stealing a pair of socks from the store at 7216 Circle Ave. on Sept. 28 about 6:15 p.m.
Police reported that Christopher J. Gill entered CVS holding his shoes in his hands. He allegedly went to a shelf, picked a pair of socks, put them on, and then put his shoes back on before heading toward the door.
As Gill was exiting, the employee said, “Hey, you need to pay for those,” but Gill allegedly pushed him aside and walked out. Moments later, according to the police report, Gill re-entered the store and began striking the employee, knocking him to the ground. The victim reported that Gill “stomped” on his face and kicked him in the head before fleeing the store.
Paramedics took the victim to Loyola University Medical Center for treatment, and police apprehended Gill after a foot chase through an alley and several backyards in Forest Park and River Forest. Gill told police he’d injured his hand striking the employee, and he was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital for treatment.
Non-compliant sex offender arrested
Forest Park police charged 34-year-old Maurice Scales, of Elmwood Park, with battery and obstructing justice after he allegedly got into a fight with a store assistant manager at Living Fresh Market, 7520 Roosevelt Road, on Sept. 25 about 11:40 a.m.
According to the police report, the assistant manager had tried to stop Scales on suspicion of retail theft. Scales fled the store, and police apprehended him on Roosevelt Road east of the store, where he allegedly gave police a false name.
Police were able to verify Scales’ identity using fingerprint records. In doing so, they learned he was wanted on a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender. The Illinois sex offender registry lists Scales as a sexual predator.
According to the online archive of the now-defunct DNA Info news organization, Scales in 2013 was charged with criminal sexual abuse and battery for fondling a woman who was lying on a bench at Union Station in Chicago and then punching her when she called police.
Scales remains at Cook County Jail while awaiting an Oct. 15 hearing date at the Maybrook courthouse in Maywood.
Construction site burglarized
Police responded to a building construction site in the 7200 block of Circle Avenue on the morning of Sept. 23 after someone called to report that someone had broken into the site during the overnight hours.
The offender gained access to the second and third floor of the south building and removed about $1,000 worth of copper pipe and pipe fittings.
Wallets heisted at Walmart
Two Walmart shoppers went to police on Sept. 27 to report that wallets had been lifted from their purses while they were shopping at the store, 1300 Desplaines Ave.
A 29-year-old Maywood woman told police she was shopping between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. when she discovered her wallet was missing as she opened her purse at the register. The silver wallet contained IDs, a debit card, a job badge and $7 in cash.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old River Forest woman said she was in the cosmetics section of the store about 1 p.m. and made a transaction at the cash register in that department. She then placed the wallet back inside her purse, which was in the shopping cart, and continued shopping for another 30 minutes.
When she later went to make another purchase, her wallet was gone. The black and white wallet contained about $50 in cash, several credit cards, debits cards, gift cards and her driver’s license.
Identity theft
A 32-year-old Forest Park resident called police on Sept. 27 to report that his Social Security number might have been compromised after he gave it out to someone who called from an 800 number that morning.
The victim told police he received a call from someone claiming to represent Dodge Magnum Credit in Texas, advising him there was an outstanding balance on his account. The victim told the caller he didn’t have an account with the company and provided his Social Security number so the caller could “verify” that information.
When the call ended, the victim called the number back and was told by the person on the other end that they never called and that he did not have an open account.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Sept. 23-29, 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
