A woman was ticketed for negligent/reckless driving during a funeral procession, traveling south on the 700 block of Desplaines Avenue on Nov. 16 at 1:20 p.m. The officer monitoring the procession noticed the vehicle weaving in the traffic lane, touching and at times even straddling the double yellow lines going into the oncoming traffic. The female driver would not make eye contact with the officer, but while he drove next to her, she operated her vehicle in an orderly fashion. When the funeral procession turned onto Roosevelt Road, heading west, the car once more began to weave. Again, the driver would not acknowledge the officer, who ran her license plate. A ticket will be sent via certified mail to the driver.
Police chase by car and on foot
A black Kia, matching the description of a vehicle possibly involved in a shooting in Oak Park, was observed by a Forest Park police officer on Nov. 14 at 5:04 p.m. The officer pulled his fully marked police vehicle onto Harlem Avenue, at which point the Kia immediately switched lanes and then pulled into the 7-11 gas station at 205 S. Harlem Ave. when the officer put on his emergency lights.
The Kia pulled into the pump area, then sped through the lot attempting to flee onto Randolph, where it was blocked by traffic. The police officer pulled up directly behind the Kia.
The officer pulled his gun and exited his car, approaching the Kia, which wedged itself through traffic and began to flee south on Harlem Avenue again.
The officer ran the registration information and discovered that the Kia was stolen. Knowing that a shooting had occurred in Oak Park, and the vehicle was driving without lights and fleeing, the officer began to follow the Kia while alerting other officers to the direction of travel of the stolen vehicle.
Observing that the Kia was about to travel north in the 600 block of the Harlem/Elgin alley, and noticing heavy Jackson traffic and Thornton’s gas station traffic had the alley exit blocked, the officer exited his car and searched on foot for the Kia, which was not in the alley.
Another officer located the Kia parked and unattended at 627 Harlem Ave. A yard-to-yard search was conducted by Forest Park and Oak Park police, with the help of North Riverside’s K9, “Gunner,” but the driver was not found.
Attempted residential burglary
A 21-year-old Chicago man was arrested on one count of attempted residential burglary and three counts of resisting arrest on the 100 block of Lathrop Avenue on Nov. 12 at 2:57 p.m.
The perpetrator tried to force his way into a residence on Lathrop Avenue. When an officer arrived on the scene, he saw a man matching the description of the potential burglar. While that officer spoke to the perpetrator, another officer spoke to the witness who called in the attempted break-in, and the witness identified the would-be burglar.
When an officer tried to handcuff the suspect, he began “violently thrashing his body and pulling his arms away from” the two police officers present. He began to flee on foot. The officers tried to gain control of the suspect but he “spun around, out of his burgundy jacket, and out of [their] grip.”
Officers pursued the suspect on foot and in vehicles, eventually catching up to him and bringing him to the ground. Still, the suspect tried to resist arrest by keeping his arms underneath his body. Eventually the officers were able to secure the burglar’s wrists in handcuffs and he was arrested.
‘Throwing pop’ at McDonald’s
A 27-year-old man was arrested for battery after becoming irate and causing a scene in McDonald’s at 420 Desplaines on Nov. 12 at 2:17 p.m. According to witnesses, he caused a disturbance by attempting to take food and “throwing pop” around. At one point, he pushed past customers and went behind the counter to grab a cup, which he filled with soda and threw at two victims, one an employee. One of the victims was struck with the cup, and both were drenched in soda. It is unclear why he was angry in the first place, although he told police officers that the victim “was talking s**t about my mom, and they were walking around me while I was eating!”
Window broken, books stolen
A car window was broken and items stolen from a vehicle at the Living Word Christian Center, 7610 Roosevelt Road. Taken from the car was a laptop case, which did not contain a computer but instead contained three books: “Be Still,” “The Prayers that Avail Much for the Workplace” and “High School Entrance Exam.” The books had a combined value of $65, and the laptop case was worth approximately $30.
Theft at Forest Oaks
construction site
Unknown offenders gained access to the construction site, specifically the trailer office and the fourth floor of the condo building at 7228 Circle Ave. between Nov. 8 and 11. A wireless router/modem was missing from the trailer, which was accessed via a ladder and broken window. On the fourth floor of the condo building, 20 sticks of copper tubing had been taken, and a pair of gloves not belonging to the crew was left on top of a storage box.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Nov. 11-17, 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 Maria Maxham
