A pair of thieves allegedly stole a catalytic converter not just in broad daylight, but in the middle of the Forest Park Walmart parking lot, 1300 Des Plaines Ave.

On May 24, at 3:17 p.m., the store security officer was alerted of the possible theft in progress in the Walmart parking lot Row 5-6. When she got out onto the parking lot, she saw two male suspects climb into a gray 2011 Hyundai Sonata and drive north through the lot. The security guard noticed that a black 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander parked in the middle of Row 5 had a hydraulic jack placed underneath its front driver’s side. A witness reportedly saw the two suspects cutting the converter out of the vehicle. The witness used a phone to film the alleged suspects getting into the car, and the incident was caught on the security camera. Both videos were turned over to the police.

The suspects were still at large at the time of the report.

Vehicle stolen, abandoned

 A resident’s car was stolen from a liquor store parking lot – only to turn up abandoned several blocks east.

On May 25, at 9:35 p.m., the victim left his car running as he went inside the Cardinal Wine and Spirits liquor store, 7533 Roosevelt Rd. The victim had his key fob in his pocket. While he was inside the store, someone reportedly drove off with his car, a gray 2014 Chrysler. The victim subsequently told the officers that he had his handgun locked in the vehicle trunk.

The officer reported the vehicle stolen. Less than an hour later, at around 10:26 p.m., an Oak Park police officer found the missing Chrysler abandoned in one of Harlem Avenue’s northbound lanes, near the Harlem/Harvard intersection. The subsequent search revealed no new damage, and the gun was still in the trunk. 

The store had a camera pointed at the parking lot, but it wasn’t clear whether it captured the alleged theft. The police currently have no suspects. 

Bike stolen from garage

A burglar took a bike from a garage while leaving two other bikes stored in the garage where they were.

On May 26, at around 8 a.m., the victim and her husband left their home at the 1000 block of Elgin Avenue. When they came back around an hour and a half later, the victim discovered that their garage door was open. While she didn’t think much of it at first, since she accidentally left their garage door open in the past, she soon realized that one of the bikes stored inside, a dark blue Reid MTB sports bike valued at around $600, was taken from the garage. Two other bikes were still inside.

There was no sign of forced entry, so it wasn’t clear whether the burglar broke in or took advantage of the victim accidentally leaving the door unlocked. There were two security cameras positioned at a nearby building that might have captured the incident, but police officers were unable to get in touch with the owners.

Packages recovered

Three boxes left at the park bench at the southwest corner of Circle Avenue and Harvard Street turned out to be an undelivered Amazon package and two shoe boxes with shoes still inside. 

That intersection has benches on every corner. On May 24, at around 8:09 a.m., a resident living at the 1000 block of Circle Avenue, near the southwest corner bench, spotted the boxes. He consulted the crossing guard, who responded that she’s seen the boxes for the past two days and she assumed they were trash. The resident then reached out to the police.

The Amazon package contained four pairs of size 36 Cocofleur Mens shorts and four XL-size polo shirts. Each shoe box had size 11.5 Cole Haan shoes.

None of the packages had address labels. All of the recovered items are currently stored at the police station.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, March 28-30, 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 Igor Studenkov