Forest Park police arrested a 23-year-old man who robbed a mail carrier on the 1000 block of Beloit Avenue Thursday afternoon.
The robbery came three days after another mail carrier was robbed only one block south, near Field-Stevenson school. The incident led the Forest Park Police Department to team up with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigators to set up surveillance in the area. Three suspects have been taken into custody for interviews.
In recent months, there has been an uptick in armed robberies in the Chicago area, with robbers demanding that the mail carriers turn over their master keys. This not only allows for easy access to homes, but makes it easier to get into mailboxes and steal checks and other sensitive mail.
According to the preliminary police report provided to the Review, the carrier was in the process of delivering mail when at around 1:08 p.m., the robber confronted him. He told the carrier to “give them keys” as he opened his jacket, flashing what looked like a black handgun tucked in his waistband. The carrier gave the robber a set of “arrow” keys to mailboxes. The robber fled south on Beloit Avenue before turning west on Filmore Street.
According to the village press release, the 23-year-old tried to get way, and he dropped a Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield gun, which the police recovered.
Last week’s incident happened Nov. 25. According to the police report, the mail carrier was preparing to deliver his mail when a man came up from behind and said he didn’t want to hurt him. When the carrier turned around, he saw a man wearing a white face mask and had his jacket hood pulled over his head. The man put his hand over his right pocket, implying he had a gun, but the victim didn’t see a weapon. The man demanded that the victim hand over his USPS master key, and he complied. The man then fled the scene, running south on Beloit Avenue and turning west on Harvard Street.