Forest Park police let the owner of Mugsy’s Tavern & Grill, 7640 Madison St., off with a warning after an officer caught customers drinking outside the bar and ended up stopping a potential fight a short time later.
The officer was on routine patrol on May 21, at around 1:14 a.m., when he spotted “a large group” of people drinking outside Mugsy’s The officer activated his emergency lights and drove up to the customers, telling them that drinking alcohol in the public right of way was a violation. Before the officer could step out, the customers ran inside the bar. As the officer went in to look for them, he smelled cannabis.
The bar owner, who was at the bar at the time, told the officer that he’d “make a better attempt” to make sure that customers don’t leave the bar with drinks.
When the officer went back to check the business, he noticed 10 to 15 people arguing loudly in front of the bar, and some customers were holding others back to prevent a physical fight. There was a call for backup and officers were able to disburse the crowd before things could escalate any further.
The officer also spotted a woman who he saw in the bar earlier passed out drunk in a car parked across the street.
The officer spoke to the owner again, saying he was concerned about the bar potentially overserving customers, as well as drinking outside the bar and patron safety, noting there were no employees watching the door. The owner said it’s not unusual for customers to drink before they arrive at Mugsy’s.
Fight at Roos
A fight erupted at the Roos Recreation Center on Harrison Street at Circle Avenue after one patron tried to cut in line.
The incident happened May 21 at around 1:23 p.m. According to witness testimony, there was a long line of customers waiting to get inside the facility. Someone tried to cut the line, and the argument quickly escalated into a fight, with five men kicking and punching another man. A Roos employee called police.
The witnesses said the men involved in the fight left the center as the police cars pulled up, and that they got into a gray Dodge Charger that was seen leaving the scene. It was last seen heading west on the Eisenhower Expressway.
Police officers were unable to locate the victim.
Suspicious package on CTA
The Forest Park Blue Line CTA terminal was shut down on the afternoon of May 26 as Cook County Sheriff’s office and Oak Park and Forest Park police officers made sure that a suspicious-looking box on the train wasn’t a bomb.
An Action K-9 security company employee working on the train spotted the package on a train stopped at the eastbound side of the platform. The package was described as a small, unsealed brown box that felt “heavy” and “appeared to be wet.” The security guard “gently” moved the box out of the train car and onto the platform.
As a precaution, police evacuated the terminal, and CTA arranged for a shuttle bus to get passengers to the next station, the Blue Line Harlem station. The bomb disposal technician with the Office of Cook County Sheriff confirmed that the package wasn’t dangerous – just pastry dough sheets.
Once they got an all-clear, the police reopened the terminal, and regular service resumed.
Break-in
A tenant evicted from a Jackson Boulevard apartment building allegedly broke in and put a new lock on the apartment door.
According to the building manager, the suspect was evicted on April 24. At the time, most of his belongings were still in the apartment, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department advised the evicted tenant to contact the manager about retrieving the items.
On May 19 at 11:55 a.m., the manager arrived at the building and discovered that the entry doorknobs were damaged and somebody put a new lock on the door.
Officers broke in and found that most of the suspect’s belongings were still inside, but the suspect wasn’t there. The property manager was advised to change the building door and apartment door locks and call 911 if the suspect shows up.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, May 19-26, 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
