An unknown offender walked up to the McDonald’s drive-through window on Jan. 21 at 11:45 p.m., asked for a “double cheese,” and presented a black handgun before the employee could tell him they do not accept walk-up orders. The employee immediately closed the drive-thru window and walked away from the offender’s view. The offender’s hand got stuck in the window as the employee was closing it, but he managed to pull it out and fled on foot.
Aggravated vehicular hijacking at car wash
An aggravated vehicular hijacking occurred at Crystal Car Wash, 901 Harlem Ave., on Jan. 21 at 7:54 p.m. The victim said his car was parked at the vacuums on the northeast part of the car wash alongside Harlem Avenue when a dark gray vehicle, possibly a Chevy Impala, with heavily tinted windows entered and parked directly behind his and another vehicle.
Two males exited the Impala and entered the victim’s vehicle, reversing the car and hitting the Impala on the way. They exited, in the stolen car, northbound on Harlem Avenue. The driver of the Impala, according to the victim, displayed a handgun when the victim tried to approach his car. The Impala also fled the scene.
Ten felonies for drugs
A man was processed on 10 drug-related felony charges on Jan. 22. He was originally pulled over at 6:27 p.m. for unlawfully using his cell phone while driving. The car smelled like fresh cannabis, and bags consistent with narcotic packaging were in plain view in the front seat of the car.
Although the man had no identification on him and originally lied about where he lived, he was searched, as was his vehicle and two properties he owns. In total, the following amounts of narcotics were recovered from his person and property:
– 220 pills of suspected Hydrocodone
– 150 pills of suspected Adderall
– 75 pills of suspected Ecstasy
– 6.2 pounds of suspected THC edibles
– 17.73 pounds of suspected cannabis
Police also found $2,615 and Viagra, not a controlled substance, on his person.
Much of the marijuana found was sealed and labeled with names like Wedding Cake, Keylime Pie, Golden Teacher, and Peanut Butter Breath.
Threatening phone calls at Walmart
On Jan. 21, an employee at Walmart, 1300 Desplaines Ave., received a threatening call about another employee. The caller said, “I’m gonna go there and stab that bitch.” Two hours later, the same unknown subject allegedly called again. He asked for the employee, and when told nobody was there by that name, he said he was going to come with a gun and “shoot up the place.”
Car stolen
A woman on the 100 block of Circle Ave. discovered her car missing on the morning of Jan. 15. She’d parked it in the driveway at 5:30 p.m. the previous day. She was unable to locate her car keys and suspects she accidently forgot her keys in the front door lock.
House burglarized, but no footprints found in snow
Residents on the 1500 block of Elgin Avenue called the police on Jan. 17 at 6:05 a.m. when they heard someone in their basement. They let their dog out in the back yard, when they allegedly heard someone running northbound down the alley and saw a “dark shadowy figure” headed that way. Officers, however, observed no footprints in the snow in the alley.
The residents believe someone entered their basement through an unlocked door. Allegedly, toys were taken out of closets and placed on the floor. An attachment to the television mounted on the way was partially unhooked. The subject also allegedly managed to gain access to the residents’ computer, somehow getting through the password protection, and located a financial file that contains credit card and bank information, according to the resident. Additionally, a checkbook and a laptop, valued at $900, were missing.
Officers were not able to locate the offender.
Cars graffitied in garages
A resident on the 1400 block of Circle Ave. reported his car had been vandalized in his garage during the overnight hours between Jan. 16 and 17. He discovered an unknown person had spray painted graffiti on his car, including a smiley face on the hood. He also reported that two lighters and “a couple cigarettes” were missing.
Another car in a garage on the 1300 block of Circle Ave was vandalized. The owner discovered the damage on Jan. 17 and called the police. The offender used red spray paint to write “in large letters an indistinguishable word beginning with the letters ‘CHE’ on the front hood of the vehicle,” according to the police report.
Car window smashed
The window of a vehicle on the 1500 block of Elgin Ave. was smashed while parked in the rear of the residence. The owner called police on Jan. 17 when he discovered the driver’s side window was broken. A blue wallet containing an unknown amount of cash was missing.
Window broken by suspected BB gun shot
A man on the 1400 block of Circle Ave. called police after hearing what he believed to be a BB gun shot and observing that the outer pane of his window was shattered on Jan. 20 around midnight.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 19-24, 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
