An armed robbery occurred at Harlem Avenue and Madison Street on Aug. 25 just after midnight. The victim was headed to his car in the parking lot on the northwest corner of the intersection. He had just reached the driver’s door of the vehicle when two subjects approached on foot from behind. One of them, holding a large knife, started yelling, “Hey, give me the money, give me the money” over and over.

The victim said he didn’t have any money. The man with the knife grabbed the back of the victim’s neck and retrieved his wallet, which contained $200 and credit cards, from his pants pocket. The offenders then fled on foot. The two suspects are described as white males, one around 5-foot-10 and the other around 5-foot-4. The taller man has a “bad looking” skull tattoo on his arm, according to the victim as quoted in the police report.

Man asks permission to shoot

A man asked the reporting officer if it was OK to shoot someone kicking in his air-conditioning unit after he put in a call to 911 on Aug. 25 at 12:20 a.m. He said he didn’t get a good look at the offender, but he was scared for his life.

The officer advised against shooting someone in that situation and explained that “the offender would need to be inside the apartment with the intention of harming him,” according to the police report. The victim said he would not shoot anyone outside of his apartment. The reporting officer observed that the air-conditioning unit appeared to have been pushed in approximately 2 inches.

Citations for open containers

A male and female were issued citations for open containers on Aug. 28 at 1:39 a.m. Both were outside a bar on the 7600 block of Madison Street with alcoholic beverages in plastic cups with straws. The drinks were confiscated by police and discarded.

Dog bites customer at BP

A dog on a leash bit a customer at the BP gas station, 7204 Washington St., on Aug. 28 at 8:04 p.m. The victim reported she was inside the gas station when another woman came in with a large dog, possibly a husky, on a leash. As the dog owner passed the victim, the dog nipped the victim on the back of her knee. The owner then fled with the dog.

Employees said the dog owner is not a regular customer, and police were not able to locate the woman or the dog. The reporting officer observed two pin-sized marks on the back of the victim’s knee, but no bruising or bleeding. The victim accepted a bandage but did not want to be transported to the hospital.

Newly painted garage vandalized

A newly painted garage on the 1000 block of Elgin Ave. was vandalized, the word “BOSS” written on it in gold paint. The owner had painted the garage door on Aug. 27 and discovered the graffiti on Aug. 28 at 8:30 p.m., and called the police.

Motorcycle man throws punch

A man on a motorcycle struck another man in the face, then left the 7500 block of Madison Street where the battery occurred on Aug. 28 at 10:13 p.m. The victim said he heard a motorcycle loudly revving its engine in a parking lot on the block. He approached the subject, calmly asking him to be quieter. The subject “became enraged,” got off his motorcycle and hit the victim in the face with his fist. The victim struck back but was left with a cut to the left side of his lip and face.

Witnesses recounted that the victim was “extremely kind and courteous to the offender in asking him to lower the motorcycle’s volume,” according to the police report.

Card game and bird houses stolen

A package with a card game called “Slap” and two small bird houses were stolen from the lobby of a building on the 300 block of Circle Avenue on Aug. 28 between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Cameras in the lobby show the offender taking the package and another belonging to another resident.

Deodorant stolen

A subject “loitering in the deodorant section” of CVS, 7216 Circle Ave., left the deodorant rows empty after stealing an unknown amount of product on Aug. 29 at 6:10 p.m. The offender headed toward the CTA Green Line station but could not be located on the platform by police.

Car taken from gas station

A car was stolen from the BP parking lot, 7204 Washington St., when the owner left it running with the keys inside and the door unlocked before entering the gas station on Aug. 24 at 12:07 a.m.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Aug. 24-30, 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