Forest Park, River Forest and Oak Park police pursued and apprehended a 16-year-old Chicago boy suspected of hijacking a vehicle at gunpoint in the 900 block of Madison Street in Oak Park on Oct. 3 at about 10:40 p.m.

Oak Park police broadcast information about the carjacking, stating the offender had stolen an orange 2019 Dodge Charger that was last seen westbound on Madison Street. A River Forest officer reported seeing the vehicle westbound on Harvard Street in Forest Park and initiated a pursuit.

In the 1300 block of Hannah Avenue, the Dodge Charger reportedly rammed the River Forest squad, disabling the Charger. The driver ran from the vehicle through a truck yard in the 1200 block of Hannah Avenue.

A Forest Park officer and an Oak Park officer located the alleged offender running westbound through the alley south of Roosevelt Road and physically subdued him, handcuffing him after a struggle that included the Forest Park officer reportedly punching the alleged offender in the face to get him into custody.

The carjacking victim reportedly positively identified the boy as the person who stole his vehicle. Police reported recovering a black handgun with a silver extended magazine from the truck yard in the 1200 block of Hannah Avenue.

Oak Park police charged the boy with vehicular hijacking and also reported finding an unspecified amount of heroin during a custodial search of the boy.

Driver ‘shoots’ blanks at cop

A Forest Park police officer ticketed a 45-year-old Addison man twice for disorderly conduct after he allegedly fired a starter pistol loaded with blanks three times at a Forest Park police squad car that was attempting to pull the man over for speeding at about 1:45 a.m. on Oct. 1.

The officer reported observing a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed northbound while in the 900 block of Maple Avenue in Oak Park. When the officer positioned his squad car behind the vehicle, the driver fired three rounds from the pistol. The officer reported distinctly hearing three “pops” and curbed the vehicle in the 700 block of Harlem Avenue.

During the stop, the driver handed over the pistol, a revolver, which had three spent blanks in the cylinder. The man was cited for disorderly conduct for carrying a weapon in a threatening manner and disorderly conduct for breach of peace for firing the gun.

Catalytic converters sawn from U-Haul vehicles

The owner of U-Haul, 801 Harlem Ave., called police on the morning of Oct. 1 to report that during the early morning hours that day the catalytic converters had been sawn from the undercarriages of eight vehicles in the fleet.

The owner told police that he discovered two Sawzall blades on the ground in the lot where there vehicles had been parked. Security video from the business showed a gray Nissan pulling into the lot at 3:07 a.m. Two people wearing dark clothing got out of the vehicle and moved from vehicle to vehicle, leaving the lot at 3:51 a.m.

Shorts reportedly fired during road rage incident

Forest Park police responded to the 8200 block of Roosevelt Road on Oct. 3 just before 5 p.m. after a 20-year-old man called 911 to report that someone fired a gun at his vehicle during a road rage incident stemming from an earlier crash.

No rounds struck the victim or his vehicle, said police. The victim told police he had exited I-290 at Harlem Avenue, when a white Hyundai sedan struck his vehicle and continued on south along Harlem Avenue.

The victim followed in order get a license plate number and the Hyundai kept driving, turning west on Roosevelt Road. As the vehicles approached the Des Plaines River, a passenger in the Hyundai allegedly fired two rounds at the victim, who stopped following at that time.

Police reported they were unable to locate the offending vehicle or any shell casings.

DUI crash

  • A 45-year-old Forest Park man faces drunken driving charges and was cited for traffic offenses after he allegedly drove his green 2005 Chevy into a 2013 Honda parked in the 7400 block of Randolph Street on Oct. 1 at about 1:50 a.m.

The driver told police he’d just grabbed a submarine sandwich at a nearby shop and was headed east on Randolph when he struck the parked car. While the vehicle sustained disabling damage and the air bags deployed, the driver wasn’t hurt. The parked car was unoccupied.

Police said the driver appeared intoxicated and refused field sobriety and breath tests.

  • Forest Park police charged a 37-year-old Oak Park man with driving under the influence of alcohol after he reportedly crashed his 2013 Toyota Corolla into the center median in the 7400 block of Roosevelt Road on the morning of Oct. 5 before passing out behind the wheel a short distance away.

When they arrived at the scene at about 4:45 a.m., police reported observing a heavily damaged vehicle facing east at the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Circle Avenue with a man asleep at the wheel with his cellphone in his hands. About a half block away to the west, police discovered damage to the raised median.

After waking the driver up, he reportedly admitted he’d been drinking and stated twice while performing field sobriety tests, “I can’t do this when I’m sober.”

The driver’s blood-alcohol content, according to police, was .173, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Burglary to vehicles

  • A 64-year-old Forest Park man called police on Oct. 1 to report that he’d parked his SUV in the first block of Elgin Avenue at about 8:35 a.m. and left it unattended for about 10 minutes while he went inside his home.

When he returned, his brown, 26-inch Raleigh Diamond mountain bike had been taken from the rear cargo area of the SUV.

  • Forest Park police responded to the 1100 block of Circle Avenue on the morning of Oct. 3 after a resident called to report that someone had entered his unlocked vehicle and stole a pack of socks.

Security video reportedly captured the incident. It showed that at about 7:05 a.m. a man dressed all in black was walking through the alley and opened the driver’s side door of the victim’s car.

The offender, who police say walked with a distinctive limp, spent about a minute rummaging through the vehicle before exiting and attempting unsuccessfully to enter other vehicles in the alley.

Man passed out behind wheel gets felony DUI

Darion D. Smith, 26, of Chicago, was charged with felony driving under influence after police were called to the intersection of Desplaines Avenue and Randolph Street to check on a driver passed out behind the wheel of a 1997 Toyota Avalon, which was running and in gear, on Oct. 3 at about 3:10 a.m.

Police were able to rouse the driver and get the vehicle into park before having Smith exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety tests, which he reportedly failed. Officers also reported finding a cup containing alcohol in the center console. Police also reported that Smith driver’s license was revoked.

In addition to DUI, Smith was cited for illegal transportation of open alcohol.

Pocket picked on train

A 32-year-old Chicago man went to Forest Park police on Oct. 4 to report that between 7 and 7:30 a.m. he fell asleep aboard a westbound CTA Blue Line train. At some point – the victim said he believed it was between Circle and Desplaines avenues – someone cut his pocket open and removed a pack of cigarettes, $200 in cash and a CTA free ride card.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Oct. 1-7, 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 Bob Uphues