A man allegedly flashed a gun and threatened customers of the Submarine Tender restaurant, 200 Desplaines Ave., on Oct. 16 at around 9:43 p.m.
Forest Park police received a call claiming that the alleged offender harassed customers and pointed his gun at another customer. By the time the responding officers arrived, the man had left, and the witnesses said he was seen running into an apartment building on the same block.
While trying to enter the building, officers spotted a man matching the alleged offender’s description enter the common area on the other side of the front door. The man refused to open the front door and fled deeper into the building.
The officers tracked the suspect to an apartment unit. The tenant only opened the door after the alleged offender left, saying that the man pleaded with him not to open the door because the police officers would beat him up.
Working with the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, the officers searched the building, eventually finding the alleged offender in the back of the building. He didn’t have a gun on him, and the police couldn’t find the gun on the property.
The Submarine Tender staff declined to sign a complaint against the alleged offender. The alleged offender was charged with refusing to comply with police officer’s orders.
Multi-vehicle accident involving drunk driver
A 34-year-old Chicago man caused a three-car accident after driving north in the southbound lane at 531 S. Harlem Ave.
The accident took place Oct. 14 at 9:57 p.m. According to witness accounts from the other two drivers, the alleged offender drove his blue 2011 Ford Escape turned onto Harlem Avenue from Jackson Boulevard and crashed the two vehicles heading south. The alleged offender reportedly hit the blue 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe first, then a white 2016 Dodge. The Ford ended up on the west sidewalk with “heavy” damage on the driver’s side, while the Hyundai and the Dodge were in the southbound lane, with lighter damage on their respective drivers’ sides.
When asked about the accident, the Ford driver insisted that he was driving southbound. The officers smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. He agreed to take the sobriety test at first, but then changed his mind.
The alleged offender was placed into custody due to suspicion of driving under influence. A breathalyzer test showed the alcohol level of .196, well above the .08 legal limit.
He was charged with driving under the influence and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Recovery of stolen vehicle
Forest Park police were able to recover a silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra that was stolen a few hours earlier from a municipal parking lot.
The victim said that, on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m., his wife parked the Hyundai at a village municipal parking lot. He still had the car key, and there was shattered glass at the parking spot.
On Oct. 10 at around 1:19 a.m., a police officer on routine patrol noticed the stolen vehicle and a black 2021 Acura sedan heading east on Adams Street before turning north on Thomas Avenue. The Hyundai was missing its rear lights. The office pulled the Hyundai over, and the driver and the passenger ran out of the car, heading west in the nearby alley. The Acura took the alley in the opposite direction.
Another officer intercepted the Acura as it traveled west on Adams Street. The driver and the passenger said they were coming from a party and denied knowing anyone in the stolen Hyundai. The officer let them go and kept an eye on them. The Acura didn’t pick the suspects, and it was last seen heading east on Eisenhower Expressway.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Oct. 10-16, 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
