A 74-year-old woman was struck from behind by an unknown assailant who then stole her car in the alley of the 600 block of Marengo on Nov. 15 around noon. The woman, who was returning home from grocery shopping and visiting a friend, had backed her car into her garage, leaving it momentarily running while she threw something away in the garbage can.

She was struck from behind by an offender who then entered her running car and drove it away. The woman’s purse and phone were inside the car when it was stolen.

The crime was caught on a neighbor’s security camera.

Car going 90 on Roosevelt Road

A car was paced at a speed of approximately 90 mph on the 8400 block of Roosevelt Road, where a sign indicated the construction speed limit was 30 mph, on Nov. 9 at 1:23 a.m. When the driver was pulled over, the officer noticed a strong smell of pot coming from the vehicle. The driver had approximately $1,800 in cash in his pants pocket, and his vehicle contained two bags of suspected cannabis, which was not in approved containers for transportation.

The man said he’d been parked on the 7600 block of Roosevelt Road because he was buying pot from a friend in the area. When he saw the police car do a U-turn, he admitted driving away quickly because he believed the officer would try to pull him over. He was given citations for speeding 35+ miles over the speed limit and for unlawful possession of cannabis.

Long John Silver’s defaced

The abandoned Long John Silver’s restaurant at 123 Harlem Ave. was defaced with graffiti, which was observed by police on Nov. 10 at 6:27 a.m. Many “words,” including “sumer,” “3AM,” “dawgy” and “WOW!” were spray painted in different colors on the building.

Firearm stolen from car

A loaded 9mm handgun was stolen from a car on the 1000 block of Circle Avenue during the overnight hours of Nov. 6, but not reported to police until Nov. 10, when the victim reported the burglary.

The victim stated that his car was parked in back of his residence and someone broke the rear driver window. His black Taurus G2C Luger, with 12 rounds in the magazine (but none in the chamber), was missing from where he’d kept it inside the armrest. He hadn’t reported the theft immediately because he was caring for a family member in hospice care and had been busy, he reported.

Landscaper cited for illegal dumping

A landscaping service was given a citation for illegally dumping leaves into the street on the 1000 block of Dunlop Avenue on Nov. 13 at 9:45 a.m. Landscapers from the service were observed dumping leaves from their truck into the street. The owner of the company was told that his landscapers are allowed to blow leaves into the street but cannot put leaves from their truck into the street.

Party bus riders ticketed for public urination

Two men were issued citations for public urination when they exited a party bus at Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., and went into the alley to relieve themselves on Nov. 15 at 1:28 a.m. The reporting officer had observed a large crowd exiting a party bus at the gas station and was tipped off that the two men were up to something when they headed toward the alley rather than the store with the other bus riders. The officer followed them “to investigate their suspicious behavior.”

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Nov. 9-15, 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