A man reported his cell phone was stolen at gunpoint while in a car near Ferdinand Avenue and Adams Street on April 7 at 2:50 a.m. The victim said he had met another man through a dating app called “Tagged.” The other man had sent him an adult video of himself. The victim saved the video, which, he said, sends a notification to the sender of the message.
The two had arranged a meetup. The victim was picked up by his “date” in a grey colored Volkswagen sedan. After driving around for a bit, the car stopped and a third man entered the back seat of the car. The “date” started yelling, “Show me the video!” and “Where’s the video?”
The man in the back pulled out a black semiautomatic handgun and pressed it to the back of the victim’s head. Then he forcibly removed the phone from the victim’s hand. The victim fled the vehicle and came straight to the police station. The phone was valued at approximately $700.
Taco Bell window smashed
The front window of Taco Bell, 7510 Roosevelt Rd., was smashed on April 10 at 4:17 a.m. Police were called when the mall security officer observed the broken window. The reporting officer saw a brick, which might have been used to do the damage, lying close by. The damage was to the exterior window of the business only; the interior window was intact and the building was still secure.
Attempted burglary at Citgo
An attempted burglary at the Citgo gas station, 7323 Randolph St., left the front glass door of the business cracked in three places on April 10 at 4:26 a.m. A passerby witnessed two subjects standing near the business, one striking the front glass door with a sledgehammer. The witness said he approached the subjects, who became startled and fled the area in a grey sedan. He called the police immediately. He also told police one of the subjects dropped a pair of sunglasses as he fled. The reporting officer recovered a pair of sunglasses off the ground near the door.
Dog fight on Randolph
A dog attacked and bit another dog on the 7200 block of Randolph St. on April 8 around 12:22 p.m. An officer heard loud barking and observed two dogs fighting on the northwest corner of Elgin Avenue and Randolph Street. One of the dogs was on a leash held by a man. The other, which was not on a leash, appeared to be the aggressor.
As the officer approached, a man picked up the non-leashed dog, who continued to bark and try to get back down onto the ground. The man holding the dog was trying to get its leash back on.
According to both men, the unleashed dog had slipped out of his collar and leash and began to attack the other dog, whose left eye was bleeding. The owner of the aggressive dog was apologetic and immediately called his girlfriend to bring proof of a rabies vaccination.
A local ordinance citation for a dog at large was given to the owner of the attacker.
Car stolen at Thornton’s
A car was stolen at Thornton’s Gas Station, 601 Harlem Ave., on April 8 at 11:25 p.m. when the owner left the vehicle running and unlocked while he went inside to pay. Although the car was taken, the owner had the key fob. Without the key fob within the vehicle, the car will not restart once it is shut off. The vehicle was listed as stolen, and the owner will be contacted once it is located.
Gasoline stolen from Thornton’s
A man drove off without paying for $43.04 worth of gasoline at Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., on April 10 at 11:27 p.m. According to an employee, a silver/black Nissan pickup parked at a gas pump. The driver exited the vehicle and asked that the fuel pump be unlocked without entering the store. The employee unlocked the pump and wrote down the offender’s vehicle license plate. The subject put gas into his vehicle, then fled the scene without paying at the pump or entering the store to pay.
Cash, cigarettes stolen from Thornton’s
Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., was robbed on April 11 at 3:20 a.m. when two men entered the business and demanded that the employees open the registers. According to an employee, a third man stayed inside the vehicle in the parking lot while the other two came into the store and around the counter. The employee opened the register, and the two men began taking cash. They also took Newport brand cigarettes from behind the counter. The employee was unsure of how much cash or cigarettes were taken.
Both perpetrators inside the store were described as black males, approximately five feet eight inches tall, with dreadlocks, black ski masks, dark clothing and white gloves. Neither displayed a weapon nor implied he had one.
Bellwood and Berwyn reported robberies at gas stations shortly afterward. The description of the offenders and vehicle matched that at Thornton’s in Forest Park. The perpetrators were not caught.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 6-April 10, 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
