A robbery and attempted carjacking in downtown Forest Park Friday afternoon ended with a crash involving a Forest Park Police Department squad car.
According to the FPPD, officers were called to the area of Madison Street and Hannah Avenue a little after 1:45 p.m. Friday, shortly after a group of people allegedly confronted a woman in the 400 block of Hannah, stole her keys and a cellphone, and attempted to steal her vehicle.
The woman told police she parked her car and was walking northbound on Hannah when three people got out of a gray Cadillac SUV and robbed her, telling her to “give us everything.” The suspects then allegedly ordered her to drop her phone and turn over her vehicle’s key fob, which she did.
The suspects were unable to steal the vehicle, however, and instead left the scene in the Cadillac, which officers later determined had been reported stolen. An officer spotted the SUV a short while later in the 600 block of Elgin Avenue and attempted to instigate a traffic stop.
The vehicle did not stop and instead entered the eastbound Eisenhower Expressway, followed by Forest Park police. The suspect collided with the squad car near Independence Boulevard. Acting Chief of Police Ken Gross said the squad car was “salvageable” despite the collision.
Three of the suspects then allegedly “bailed out” of the vehicle on foot and were captured with the help of Chicago police. Two of those apprehended were juveniles.
The adult, 19-year-old Ethin Julian, of Chicago, has been charged with felony vehicular hijacking. A fourth suspect remains at large.
This information was obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
