A 38-year-old man called Forest Park police on April 10 at about 10:20 p.m. to report that someone had attempted to hijack his 2014 Mercedes-Benz at gunpoint in the 7700 block of Madison Street.
The victim told police he parked his vehicle in front of Papa John’s, 7744 Madison St., and went inside to pick up his order. When he exited the store, a person wearing a full facemask ran at him, pointed a gun with a red laser sight at him and demanded his car keys and struck him in the face.
Instead of giving over his car keys, the victim ran back inside Papa John’s and locked the door behind him. The offender ran back toward Madison Street where he entered a black Toyota Camry, which drove off.
River Forest police reported that a surveillance camera showed the vehicle was last seen heading north on Franklin Avenue from Madison Street.
The victim was not seriously hurt and said he didn’t wish to sign a complaint.
Knife-wielding clerk at mini-mart
A man who complained about the price of a few lighters said he was confronted by an angry cashier with a knife in his hands on April 1, according to the Forest Park Police Department.
The incident occurred a little before 1 p.m. at a store in the 400 block of Desplaines Avenue and escalated when the 64-year-old clerk exited from behind the cash register allegedly wielding what was described as a butcher knife or machete.
After talking to the customer outside, officers asked the clerk for his version of events, at which point he “abruptly pulled out a butcher knife.” Officers requested he put the knife down and the clerk complied, but he soon began giving conflicting statements on whether the store’s video surveillance system was working.
Later, officers asked the man to come out of an enclosed space behind the register and he refused so officers eventually had to kick the door down to remove him. After being removed, the clerk also admitted he had been drinking a beer during his shift.
The clerk was arrested and charged with assault and resisting arrest.
Alleged car thief arrested
A 19-year-old Berwyn man who allegedly stole a 2015 Kia Optima from Thorntons gas station, 601 Harlem Ave., found himself charged with auto theft and other offenses after getting the vehicle stuck between a trash can and a building while trying to elude police by driving on the sidewalk at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Madison Street on April 8 at about 4:20 p.m.
Joshua D. Devine-Cox reportedly told police he’d exited a CTA Blue Line train at Harlem Avenue and went to Thorntons to get snacks when he observed the Kia unoccupied and running at a gas pump.
He allegedly entered the vehicle and fled westbound on Jackson Boulevard before police spotted him in the 500 block of Circle Avenue. Devine-Cox reportedly sped away from police, blowing a couple of stop signs before getting stuck in traffic eastbound on Madison Street.
Devine-Cox allegedly tried to get away by driving up onto the sidewalk and between a light pole and a building at Harlem and Madison, but the car got hung up on the base of a mounted trash can.
Police took him into custody as he tried to exit the vehicle through the driver’s side rear door. Devine-Cox reportedly told police he’d been caught for a similar offense in Oak Park a couple of weeks earlier.
In addition to auto theft, Devine-Cox was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding and criminal damage to property. He was also cited for several traffic violations.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 1-10, 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 Andy Viano and Bob Uphues
